May voters letter ‘must be counted as local spending’
THE cost of personal letters sent by Theresa May to voters that include references to local seats should be included in the expenses of local candidates, according to a former general secretary of Plaid Cymru.
Emrys Roberts and his wife, Margaret, received a letter from the Prime Minister containing six references to the Cardiff West constituency in which they live.
Yet although it is clearly designed to enlist support for the local Tory candidate, the letter from Mrs May is promoted not by the Conservative agent for the constituency, but by Alan Mabbutt, the director general of the Conservative Party.
Mr Roberts, who is also a former leader of Merthyr Tydfil Council, said he believed it likely that the Conservatives would try to include the cost of such letters illegally in the party’s national spending.
He and his wife have written to both the Conservative agent for the constituency and to the returning officer, expressing their concerns.
The letter from Mrs May to Mr and Mrs Roberts states: “If we don’t get the Brexit deal right, your economic security and prosperity will be put at risk, and the opportunities you seek for your family will simply not happen.
“But with your help, Margaret and Emrys, and your votes locally in the Cardiff West constituency, together we can get it right.”
Later, Mrs May states: “Some people say Jeremy Corbyn can’t possibly become Prime Minister and it doesn’t matter how you vote locally in Cardiff West constituency.
“But just remember the opinion polls got the general election wrong in 2015.
“It’s nonsense for Labour to claim that a vote for them locally in the Cardiff West constituency doesn’t matter nationally.
“Because the simple fact is that Jeremy Corbyn will claim each and every vote for Labour in the Cardiff West constituency as a vote for him.
“And if Jeremy Corbyn wins in the Cardiff West constituency, his position is strengthened and my negotiating position weakened.
“So the only way to back me is by voting Conservative in your local constituency of Cardiff West.”
In a letter to the election returning officer, Mr Roberts and his wife stated: “We enclose a copy of a letter which we have received from Theresa May. Everyone I have spoken to locally has received a copy.
“We would draw your attention to the fact that our names and the constituency in which we vote are mentioned four times (sic) each.
“The letter is obviously an attempt to persuade us to vote a certain way in a particular constituency and our understanding of electoral law indicates that the cost of producing and sending the letter to us – and presumably to every other household which includes persons with a vote in this constituency – must be included within the permitted expenditure of the Conservative Party candidate and the total must be included in the financial returns which have to be forwarded to you after the election. We trust you will ensure that this is done.”
Mr Roberts told us: “The fact that the letter has gone out under the imprint of the director general of the UK Conservative Party strengthens my concern that they intend to class this as national, rather than local, expenditure, which in my view would be in breach of both the letter and the spirit of electoral law.
“When a few weeks ago the Crown Prosecution Service said it would not be bringing charges against a number of Conservative candidates and agents at the 2015 general election who had failed to include items of spending in their local expense returns, the reason given for not prosecuting was because the agents said they did not know the law.
“I want to make sure that excuse cannot be trotted out again, which is why I have written to the returning officer and to the Conservative agent.”
Under electoral law, there are relatively low limits on what local candidates can spend, while national spending limits for parties are much higher.
In relation to allegations against Conservative candidates and agents in 2015, the CPS had considered files of evidence relating to 14 police forces but said none of the cases had reached the standard that required criminal charges.
An investigation was launched after it was alleged that expenses had been incorrectly recorded during the 2015 general election campaign.
It was claimed that bus loads of Tory activists were sent to key seats, but the costs were assigned to the national campaign rather than to local ones. Election law dictates that any money spent “promoting the candidate” should be declared by that candidate or their agent.