Five people were arrested this morning on suspicion of fraud offences as part of an investigation into alleged offences surrounding the local election in Tameside.
the days leading up to and following the election on May 7, we received reports surrounding concerns about candidates within the St Peter’s ward.
Following initial enquiries last week, we have launched a full investigation into the allegations.
The work is specifically investigating the process of how candidates were put forward and represented in the ward, and if this adhered to the relevant legislation and electoral procedures.
The five people – four men and a woman aged between 23 and 47 – were arrested at addresses in Tameside this morning. They remain in custody for questioning.
Police are working closely with the Electoral Commission and local partners as part of our enquiries and will provide further updates as they progress the investigation.
The arrests follow follows allegations into the Tameside Labour group which put forward fake independent candidates in the local elections to split votes for opposition parties
Labour is understood to have no knowledge of any party figures being arrested and the election agents for Muhammad Ali and Marie Fairhurst are not Labour members
A Labour spokesperson said: “No evidence has been presented of any Labour Party involvement in these allegations. We categorically reject any suggestion that the Party was involved. The local Labour team is focussed on what really matters – delivering for residents and protecting services, not playing political games. We are unable to provide any further comment while police inquiries are underway”
In the St Peter’s ward contest, Labour’s Atta ul‑Rasool — previously vice‑chair of the Ashton‑under‑Lyne Labour branch — won the seat by a margin of 177 votes over independent candidate Ahmed Mehmood.
