Express & Echo (City & East Devon Edition)
Three web links directing people to rival political candidate removed
THREE web domains in the name of a Lib Dem MP – but that redirected people to a Conservative rival’s website – now appear to have been disconnected.
Pressure began growing on Simon Jupp, the Conservative MP for East Devon, last week to explain why the web addresses richardfoord.co.uk, richardfoord.com and richardfoord. uk sent users to his own website.
Liberal Democrat MP Mr Foord, who represents Tiverton and Honiton, will contest the new Honiton and Sidmouth seat against Mr Jupp among others at the next general election.
Now, just days after news of the web domains emerged in a national newspaper, they do not connect to Mr Jupp’s website.
An online search for them still lists them as results, but the links are no longer active.
Mr Jupp said he was “not responsible for the web domains”, and the Electoral Commission said it was not an issue it would be looking into.
But Paul Arnott, the leader of East Devon District Council, an area currently represented by Mr Jupp, and the Liberal Democrat candidate for the new Exmouth and Exeter East constituency at the next election, said it was up to the Conservative MP to explain what he thinks occurred.
“As leader of East Devon District Council for the last four years, I have made it a priority at all times to make sure the council and all local politicians operate at the highest level of truthfulness and transparency,” he said.
“At this stage it is not certain what has happened here, but I do think the absolute onus is on Simon Jupp to give a full, frank and immediate explanation of what has happened.”
A spokesperson for Mr Foord said: “When we talk to people across Mid and East Devon, they tell us they want their representatives to play it straight and be honest.
“Links that look genuine but simply redirect to Conservative websites only serve to arouse suspicion and undermine trust.
“People deserve better from their MP, and at the election they have a chance to demand better by voting Liberal Democrat.”
It is not known who bought the internet addresses as ownership records reportedly pointed to a web domain-buying site based in Worcestershire.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission suggested the directing of the domain names to Mr Jupp’s website did not break any election law. They told the i newspaper that the content of campaign material does not fall within its regulatory remit, so it would not be investigating the matter.