The claim is that Hope Not Hate's leaflets before the Makerfield by-election were "clearly directed at encouraging voters to support Andy Burnham over Rob Kenyon." Multiple sources report the content of the leaflets, which were sent on Hope Not Hate-headed paper to addresses in the Makerfield constituency. According to Wigan Today's reporting, the leaflets: 1. Described the election as a "two-horse race" between Labour's Andy Burnham and Reform UK's Rob Kenyon — framing the choice as binary between these two candidates. 2. Praised Burnham's pitch, telling voters that his "call for a re-industrialised and decentralised Britain — one where wealth and power are no longer concentrated in Westminster and London — is a vital step forward." 3. Urged readers to "join the local fightback against Reform" via a QR code in the footer — an explicit call to action against Kenyon's party. Hope Not Hate did not deny sending the leaflets. Their public statements framed their work as exposing extremism and giving voters information about candidates, particularly highlighting Kenyon's controversial social media posts. However, the leaflets' content went beyond mere exposure of Kenyon's posts — they positively assessed Burnham's policy positions and framed the contest as a two-horse race while urging a "fightback against Reform." Hope Not Hate's post-election statement further supports the claim. After Burnham won the by-election, a Hope Not Hate spokesperson said: "Every leaflet and letter exposing Reform's candidate to the voters of Makerfield was funded by ordinary people backing Hope not Hate. Those people are the reason Robert Kenyon is not the new MP for Makerfield." This explicitly ties their leaflet campaign to defeating Kenyon — which, in a two-horse race they themselves framed, means supporting Burnham. Regulatory outcomes: The Charity Commission cleared the Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust (the charity arm), finding its funds were not used for the leaflets. Hope Not Hate Limited, which sent the leaflets, is a registered non-party campaigner with the Electoral Commission. Farage subsequently filed a separate complaint with the Electoral Commission, which is the subject of the tweet. The Charity Commission's clearance addressed the funding question, not whether the leaflets were directed at supporting Burnham over Kenyon. Assessment: The claim that the leaflets were "clearly directed at encouraging voters to support Andy Burnham over Rob Kenyon" is well-supported by the reported content. The leaflets praised Burnham's positions as "a vital step forward," framed the election as a two-horse race between him and Kenyon, and urged a "fightback against Reform." While Hope Not Hate disputes the characterization — arguing they were exposing extremism rather than endorsing a candidate — the actual content of the leaflets, as reported by multiple news outlets, does appear to be directed at encouraging support for Burnham over Kenyon. The distinction is that Hope Not Hate did not explicitly say "vote for Burnham," but the combination of praising his positions, framing the race as binary, and calling for a fightback against his opponent's party constitutes clear directional encouragement. Sources: - Wigan Today: "Farage accuses Hope Not Hate of 'conflict of interest' over Makerfield leaflets" — https://www.wigantoday.net/news/people/farage-accuses-hope-not-hate-of-conflict-of-interest-over-makerfield-leaflets-8643934 - Third Sector: "Charity cleared by commission after Farage complaint" — https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/charity-cleared-commission-farage-complaint/governance/article/1962712 - Third Sector: "Farage's claims we endorsed Burnham in by-election have 'no basis in fact' charity says" — https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/farages-claims-endorsed-burnham-by-election-no-basis-fact-charity-says/governance/article/1959634 - Civil Society: "Farage files second Hope Not Hate complaint after charity cleared" — https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/farage-files-second-hope-not-hate-complaint-after-charity-cleared.html - GB News: "Nigel Farage reports anti-Reform leaflet to charity watchdog over 'pro-Labour message'" — https://www.gbnews.com/politics/nigel-farage-hope-not-hate-makerfield-labour - Civil Society: "Commission considers Farage complaint against anti-racist charity" — https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/commission-considers-farage-complaint-against-anti-racist-charity.html