Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf has become embroiled in controversy after deleting a social media post that appeared to celebrate the illegal practice known as “family voting.” The incident occurred during the Gorton and Denton by-election in Greater Manchester, where Reform officials alleged high rates of voter collusion in predominantly Muslim areas.
The controversy deepened when Yusuf shared and enthusiastically endorsed a post from student James Bennett, who claimed his 93-year-old blind mother had loudly asked for Reform’s ballot box to cheers from waiting voters. Bennett later revealed his post was satirical, clarifying his mother is actually 41, not blind, lives three hours from Manchester, and holds left-wing political views.
As election results emerged showing Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer’s victory with 40.7% of votes, followed by Reform’s Matt Goodwin at 28.7% and Labour’s Angeliki Stogia at 25.4%, Reform leadership escalated allegations of electoral misconduct. Party leader Nigel Farage described the situation as “deeply concerning” for democratic integrity, while election observer group Democracy Volunteers claimed to have witnessed 32 cases of family voting across the constituencies.
Independent MP Adnan Hussain highlighted the contradiction by sharing a screenshot of Yusuf’s deleted post, questioning why Reform initially appeared to encourage family voting behavior before scapegoating Muslim communities after their electoral defeat. The acting returning officer for the by-election stated that polling station staff were trained to detect undue influence and reported no such issues during voting hours.
Following the loss, Goodwin made inflammatory remarks about “losing our country” to “dangerous Muslim sectarianism,” while Farage characterized the election as “a victory for sectarian voting and cheating.” Labour officials have called for investigation into the family voting allegations while criticizing what they describe as dog-whistle politics against Muslim voters.