A van bearing the words “Muslims for Reform” has sparked controversy at the Makerfield by-election after being photographed and filmed near a polling station in Ashton-in-Makerfield, in a constituency where Muslims make up less than one per cent of the population.
Images and videos of the grey van, with large white lettering on its side, circulated widely on social media during polling day on Wednesday, with Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe — whose candidate Rebecca Shepherd is standing in the seat — sharing photographs and condemning it as “divisive identity politics” in a constituency that is between 94 and 97 per cent White British.
The Makerfield by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Josh Simons and has attracted significant national attention, partly because of the candidacy of Andy Burnham, the popular Greater Manchester Mayor who is standing for Labour. The race has been complicated by a split on the right between Reform UK’s candidate Robert Kenyon, a local plumber who secured around 32 per cent of the vote in 2024, and Shepherd, standing for Lowe’s Restore Britain party.
The van’s appearance has generated fierce debate about its origins and authenticity. Some observers questioned whether it could be a stunt or an attempt to damage Reform UK, noting the absence of a visible number plate in some images and the fact that the area’s tiny Muslim population makes the van’s message an unusual demographic target. Videos showing the van in motion have been shared by accounts on the right, though no mainstream outlet has independently verified who owns or operates it or confirmed its precise purpose. Police have been tagged in some posts.
Reform UK has not commented on the van’s origins, and no mainstream confirmation of who commissioned it had emerged at the time of writing. Polling in the Makerfield constituency closes at 10pm.
