A Conservative supporter is behind a mysterious leaflet described as like a “US-style dirty tricks campaign” in a key London seat, according to a local candidate.
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have both denied sending out the anonymous leaflet calling on residents to vote Lib Dem in Islington South and Finsbury, where the sitting MP is Labour’s Emily Thornberry.
Police are investigating the leaflet, as election law means political material must bear the publisher’s name and printer’s address.
But the Green party candidate in the tightly contested borough said he had come across a woman who claimed to be a lawyer distributing the leaflets of her own accord, and not on behalf of the local party.
The Greens’ Charlie Kiss said he believed the woman he met, who gave her name only as “Karen”, appeared to be genuine in her support for the Conservatives, and was distributing the leaflets she had printed herself from a bag she carried between doorsteps in the Holloway and Canonbury wards in the north London constituency.
Just met a Tory supporter delivering leaflets telling people to vote Lib Dem! Tactical voting based on 2010 results is flawed #votetrue
— Charlie Kiss (@charliekiss) May 5, 2015
Kiss said he was frustrated by the call for voters to tactically back the Lib Dems, who have no councillors left on Islington council. In last year’s local elections, the Greens got 20% of the vote and Lib Dems 15%, he said.
“The Green party is a viable option here and this sort of material distorts reality,” he said. “Our archaic voting system is not fit for purpose and encourages people to consider voting tactically. The truth is that the election outcome is a guessing game.
“There should be no place in our democracy for voting for someone you don’t agree with just to keep out a party you agree with less. If everyone voted for the party that matched their views, we would all know where we stood. People should vote for what they truly believe in.”
Kiss claimed the woman he spoke to said she had “nothing to hide” and promised to give her details to Islington electoral services.
“We’re calling it what it is, it’s a US-style dirty tricks campaign,” Thornberry said of the anti-Labour leaflet. “It’s illegal, it’s unethical and we’re cooperating fully with the police.”
Andrew Smith, head of electoral services at Islington council, said he had had no contact from the woman in question but said he had passed on the details to the Metropolitan police.
The Electoral Commission said of the leaflet on Tuesday: “The law [Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000] states that all printed material must include the name and address of the printer and promoter [the person who authorised the material to be printed]. This is so that electors can be clear about the source of the campaign material.
“It is an offence not to include an imprint on election material and any breach of the rules will be considered in line with the Electoral Commission’s enforcement policy [pdf].”
The Metropolitan police confirmed on Tuesday that detectives were investigating the allegations made about the leaflet.
