𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The Gorton and Denton by-election revealed some uncomfortable truths about the state of British politics. First, that in parts of the country basic democratic norms and the shared understanding that we all play by the same civic rules are being eroded. Second, that the Prime Minister lacks the backbone and authority to tackle it.

Democracy Volunteers reported the highest levels of family voting in their 10-year history of observing elections in the United Kingdom. They witnessed family voting in 68% of polling stations, affecting 12% of those voters observed. Signage on the secrecy of the ballot was visible in only 45% of polling stations.

Family voting refers to the practice of one person accompanying a voter into or near the polling booth and influencing or directing how they cast their ballot. In 2022, the previous Conservative government highlighted concerns about this in certain areas, where voters were alleged to be pressured by spouses or partners inside polling stations. The practice was explicitly outlawed by the Conservatives government under the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023 in order to ensure the principle that every voter must be able to cast their ballot independently and in secret.

Nonetheless, in the Gorton and Denton by-election there was clear evidence that electoral offences were committed. It is completely unacceptable in this age for anyone’s vote to be watched, directed or pressured inside a polling station. When people disregard the rules that protect individual choice, it weakens public trust and undermines the sense that we are bound together by common standards. In light of these findings, the Electoral Commission should initiate an inquiry into the breaches outlined in the Democracy Volunteers report, including the steps taken by Manchester City Council’s elections staff to enforce the law. Any evidence uncovered should be passed to the police.

In recent years we have seen the growth of bloc politics and communal pressure in certain areas. At the previous general election, colleagues across the House faced sustained intimidation, particularly from far-left Palestinian activists. Sectarian pressure, communal intimidation and practices that prioritise group coercion over individual freedom are not compatible with British democratic standards or with a cohesive society in which the same rules apply to all.

Official statistics show almost one million people in England and Wales cannot speak English well or at all. Integration is about cohesion. A common language, shared respect of civic norms and equal application of the law are the foundations of a functioning democracy. When significant numbers live parallel lives, without meaningful integration into the civic mainstream, the result can be fragmentation rather than solidarity, and informal pressures rather than open participation. Nor should we accept ideologies that believe women are inferior to men or do not accept the fact that people have differing legal sexual preferences. We must not tolerate this kind of intolerance.

Successful immigration policy requires more than border control. It requires assimilation into the institutions, language and democratic culture of this country. Britain has always welcomed those who wish to contribute and belong. But belonging means accepting the primacy of British law and British democratic practice, and respecting the social and cultural norms that underpin them. No cultural tradition can override the secrecy of the ballot or the equality of women.

Gorton and Denton exposed what happens when integration falters and enforcement is weak. It showed how quickly confidence frays when rules are not consistently upheld. But it also revealed how little authority this Prime Minister now commands.

Keir Starmer lurches from U-turn to U-turn, from crisis to crisis. Labour are permanently distracted. The Mandelson affair has fatally wounded his administration. Following the resignation of Morgan McSweeney, even senior Labour figures questioned his leadership. Rumours of manoeuvring swirl while the country faces higher taxes, cuts to winter fuel and the surrender of the Chagos Islands.

Without McSweeney, Starmer has no plan, not that Labour arrived in government with one. This instability is self-inflicted. Families are struggling with the consequences of Labour’s decisions, particularly on the economy, and yet the government is consumed by its own internal drama meaning we have been left with a government that is simply not governing. Gorton and Denton showed the extent of that discontent.

Keir Starmer’s position is untenable. He is responsible for the decisions his government has taken, from hiking taxes to weakening Britain’s strategic position abroad. It is now for Labour MPs to decide how long they are prepared to defend drift and dysfunction. The country cannot continue like this.

Populist parties exploit that frustration but offer no serious programme for government. Both the Green Party and Reform offer everything and anything to everyone, without a credible plan. In both cases they promise evermore unfunded spending, which will inevitably be paid for by an increase in taxes. They refuse to do the hard work of governing and of reinforcing the civic framework on which community cohesion depends.

Only the Conservative Party has a leader with a backbone, a strong team and a clear plan. A stronger economy begins with living within our means. Our golden economic rule is backed by a £47billion plan for savings, half to reduce the deficit and half to strengthen growth through measures such as cutting stamp duty and backing enterprise. Stronger borders mean leaving the ECHR, executing the BORDERS plan and ending illegal immigration. Border control is the prerequisite for integration, cohesion and public confidence. Without control of who comes here, and a shared expectation that all will abide by our laws and norms, there can be no meaningful sense of common purpose.

Gorton and Denton was a warning. A warning about the erosion of civic norms and the fraying of community cohesion and a warning for a Prime Minister who no longer commands authority at home or respect abroad.

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