Byelection letters sent by Reform UK from a "concerned neighbour" have raised questions over electoral law, with authorities launching an investigation into potential breach of regulations.
The issue came to light after dozens of voters in Gorton and Denton received letters expressing disapproval of Keir Starmer's Labour Party policies. The letters were penned by 74-year-old pensioner Patricia Clegg, who claimed she had been asked by Reform UK to write the letter in support of their party.
However, several issues have emerged with the letters, including a lack of an imprint stating that the material was funded and distributed by the party. According to electoral law, all printed materials promoting candidates at elections are required to include such an imprint.
A spokesperson for Reform UK claimed that the party had commissioned the letter but "an error occurred during printing" resulting in the omission. Hardings Print Solutions, the printer responsible, has taken full responsibility for the mistake.
Police have now launched an investigation into the matter after receiving a report from the Electoral Commission, which described the failure to include the imprint as an offence. The commission emphasized that it was the police's duty to enforce this requirement.
Labour campaigner Andrew Western expressed frustration over Reform UK's handling of the issue, stating that campaigns are responsible for adhering to basic legal requirements and should not try to shift blame onto third-party contractors.
The issue came to light after dozens of voters in Gorton and Denton received letters expressing disapproval of Keir Starmer's Labour Party policies. The letters were penned by 74-year-old pensioner Patricia Clegg, who claimed she had been asked by Reform UK to write the letter in support of their party.
However, several issues have emerged with the letters, including a lack of an imprint stating that the material was funded and distributed by the party. According to electoral law, all printed materials promoting candidates at elections are required to include such an imprint.
A spokesperson for Reform UK claimed that the party had commissioned the letter but "an error occurred during printing" resulting in the omission. Hardings Print Solutions, the printer responsible, has taken full responsibility for the mistake.
Police have now launched an investigation into the matter after receiving a report from the Electoral Commission, which described the failure to include the imprint as an offence. The commission emphasized that it was the police's duty to enforce this requirement.
Labour campaigner Andrew Western expressed frustration over Reform UK's handling of the issue, stating that campaigns are responsible for adhering to basic legal requirements and should not try to shift blame onto third-party contractors.
. like, come on Reform UK, if you're gonna do something shady, at least have the decency to own up to it and not blame the printer 
. it's basic voter awareness 101 - check the fine print! 
i mean literally who lets an 74 yr old write all those letters lol but seriously this is some serious election law stuff going on i feel like reform uk just tried to pull a fast one on the voters and it's not cool that they're trying to blame the printer for it 
at least hardings took responsibility though i guess the question now is how many of those letters were actually genuine and not just reform uk's propaganda machine 
. I mean, come on! You've got Reform UK trying to send out these letters supposedly from a "concerned neighbour" but it turns out they just asked some poor old lady to write them and now everyone's all upset. It's just basic electoral law stuff - can't even get that right 
they claimed an "error" happened during printing but honestly who checks the proofreaders? 
. I mean, if you're gonna try to sway people's votes with letters like that, at least have the decency to be upfront about it? It's not like it's a huge ask for them to put their logo or something on there... like, come on! 
. I don't think it reflects well on Reform UK at all 
... I mean, think about it - a bunch of letters just showing up out of nowhere in dozens of voters' mailboxes? That's some suspicious stuff right there! What's really going on here? Was it an accident or was someone trying to pull off a dirty trick? And who's behind all this? Reform UK is playing dumb, but I'm not buying it 
... They're just trying to cover their tracks. I bet the letters were meant for Labour Party voters and they got mixed up in the printing process. The lack of an imprint is just the icing on the cake - a clear attempt to deceive people! We need to keep digging into this, guys...
this is gonna be a long road for them. and ldn, how do u explain this kinda thing? electoral law is in place for a reason 
And now we got this whole scandal with Reform UK, where they sent out loads of letters saying some stuff was true, but it turns out they were paid to write them 
71% think all election materials should be funded by candidates, but only 42% believe they are! 
. This whole ordeal is giving me life... and a strong sense of FOMO, wondering what other scandals might be brewing 
. but in the end, it's all just about keeping it real, you know? 
. Can't we all just agree that campaigns need to follow basic rules and not try to dodge responsibility?
the printer made a mistake, that's not on them. and let's be real, the lack of imprint is kinda minor, right? 
I mean, we're not talking about something life-changing here. but still, it's good that the authorities are looking into this and making sure everyone plays by the rules. Transparency is key, even if it's just a little thing like an imprint 