A letter from “a local pensioner” distributed for Reform UK in the Gorton and Denton by-election appearing to break election law has been referred to the Electoral Commission and police.
The letter from “concerned neighbour” Patricia Clegg explains why she is no longer voting for Labour and has switched her vote to Nigel Farage’s party.
But opponents have pointed out that the leaflet potentially breaks electoral law because it does not have an imprint of the party to show they are distributing it.
Greater Manchester Police have now confirmed that a complaint has been sent to them and ”will be investigated”.
The Electoral Commission said the omission was a police matter, noting that failing “to include an imprint in candidate election material is an offence”.
Former Conservative agent Andrew Kennedy posted: “In 40 years as a Conservative Party agent I have run campaigns for 2,100 candidates, including 50 MPs. In that time I have published probably 10,000 different leaflets. Not once have I allowed a leaflet to be delivered without a lawful imprint.”
The intervention is important as Reform’s candidate Matthew Goodwin tries to win a seat Labour held with more than 50 per cent of the vote in the general election with some polls putting Labour now in third place behind the Greens as well.
Turn Left Media put out a statement that it had reported Reform to the Electoral Commission.
Mrs Clegg, a Reform UK member, told The Guardian: “I was asked to support Reform; would I be willing to do a letter and put my name to it? And I said, ‘Yeah’, and I left the rest to them.”
But Reform have obtained a statement from the printer they commissioned to produce the leaflet taking responsibility.
A Hardings Print Solutions Limited spokesman said: “Reform UK did not request or authorise the removal of the imprint. The omission arose from Hardings Printers’ production process.
“The party supplied artwork which correctly included the legally required imprint, and a compliant proof was produced and approved.”
A Reform spokesman said: “The campaign commissioned a letter from a local constituent which was supplied to our print contractor with the full and correct legal imprint, fully compliant with election law.
“Print ready proofs were provided by the supplier and approved by the campaign. Those proofs clearly included the legal imprint in the correct form.”
But Labour’s campaign political lead Andrew Western MP said: “Campaigns are responsible for what they put through people’s doors. Blaming a printer doesn’t remove that responsibility or excuse the failure to meet basic legal requirements.
“Reform should concentrate on getting the basics right.”
The letter stated that Mrs Clegg “voted Labour because Keir Starmer told us things would change for the better. They haven’t.”
She added that tax rises “have cost pensioners like me an extra £160 that we cannot afford”.
