The Sun has been criticised for an offer by an agency working on its behalf to pay £100 to Conservative voters who have a “good news” story to tell about why they are backing the party.
Commissioned by the newspaper, agency SWNS promised the sum to Tory supporters if they were able to tell a positive story about how the coalition government’s policies had helped their family or business.
The call-out suggested voters get in touch if they were “a small-business owner whose business is booming, or someone who bought his/her home under right-to-buy, or perhaps someone who was out of work for a long time but is now working”.
A Sun spokesman did not deny it was seeking “good news” case studies of Tory voters via an agency, and said the agency had decided on the fee. “The Sun, like most newspapers and magazines, will pay agencies to source case studies for our stories,” he said.
“This advert, as can be seen by the contact email, was written by SWNS and is therefore not the responsibility of the Sun.”
On social media, users questioned whether the offer of payment for positive stories about the Conservative party was ethical.
WTF? £100 for your positive Tory story? @TheSunNewspaper perilously close to trying to buy votes this election pic.twitter.com/g8cVKJq8Y8
— Peter Jukes (@peterjukes) May 5, 2015
@peterjukes Further, will they make plain, if they use any such stories, that they paid for them?
— Brian Moore (@brianmoore666) May 5, 2015
How hard would times have to be to come out as a Tory for £100? https://t.co/zLWPzV1nSD
— Catherine Rogan (@BeautyInLonely) May 5, 2015
The hashtag #Sun100 began to build as tweeters offered their own “case studies”.
As a prosecution barrister the Tories legal aid cuts have made my life so much simpler #Sun100 pic.twitter.com/w8ARugwVlM
— James Doleman (@jamesdoleman) May 5, 2015
Thanks to the Tories being so helpfully hands-off with their supervision of international affairs I was able to invade the Ukraine #Sun100
— Nobby Matthews (@Smelling_bull) May 5, 2015
I sack staff and replace them with "apprentices" can I get 100 ? #sun100
— Kevin O'Connell (@Hibou2) May 5, 2015
The Electoral Commission said the offer did not constitute the corrupt practice of “treating” under the Representation of the People’s Act 1983 because the money was being offered to people who had already decided where to cast their vote.
“It is a secret ballot, so even if the money would convince someone to declare they are voting Tory, there is no way anyone could tell if they went ahead with that vote,” a spokesman said.
