The Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, has defended one of his parliamentary candidates after claims he tried to bribe voters by providing sausage rolls at an event attended by snooker star Jimmy White.
Kim Rose, who is standing in Southampton Itchen, laid on refreshments at an event at a local community hall on 21 February, after inviting White to play snooker with children.
But the candidate said he was subsequently told to report to Hampshire police over a report that he had been “treating”.
Rose told the BBC: “Maybe it’s a bit naive but all the intentions were good. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I’m sure people aren’t going to change their mind for a sausage roll.”
Asked about the furore while on the campaign trail in South Thanet in Kent, Farage described it as “utter nonsense”. “There seems all sorts of cases in politics of people behaving badly and doing things wrong, abusing their positions. Having a few sausage rolls I don’t really think counts as one of those,” he said.
Labour is expected to hold Southampton Itchen, where John Denham MP is standing down after 23 years, but Ukip is a credible challenger in the seat.
Electoral Commission rules state that a person is “guilty of treating if either before, during or after an election they directly or indirectly give or provide any food, drink, entertainment or provision to corruptly influence any voter to vote or refrain from voting”.
Hampshire police said: “We have a received an allegation of ‘treating’ by a prospective parliamentary candidate, contrary to the Representation of the People Act 1983. We are looking into the complaint. No arrests have been made.”
