New MP Laura addresses claim over two homes
OUT-OF-DATE DETAILS WERE NOT CHANGED FOR COUNTY WARD BALLOT
A LABOUR MP who declared herself as living at two different addresses 30 miles away from each other in two elections just weeks apart has denied any wrongdoing.
Laura Pidcock, the newly elected MP for North West Durham, was registered at a constituency address in Lanchester for the June 8 General Election.
However, when she stood as a Labour candidate representing the Eastfield ward in the Northumberland local elections on May 4, her home address was registered as Cramlington.
Ahead of the local elections, the Labour party had announced Miss Pidcock as the candidate for North West Durham which includes Consett, Crook, and Lanchester – where she was listed as living.
The former charity worker said: “Basically, the Cramlington address is where I lived when I stood for the Northumberland County Council in 2013.
“I moved to Lanchester three months ago and genuinely that is where I live, that is where I eat, where I sleep.”
Miss Pidcock was selected for the seat after former MP Pat Glass stood down ahead of the snap election.
She won the seat with 25,308 votes while Conservative candidate SallyAnn Hart took home 16,516 votes.
Electoral Commission rules state candidates in any election must declare their home address in full to the commission, although the full address does not have to appear on the ballot paper.
The rules state that the address must be the candidate’s “current home address” and that it is an offence to provide a false statement on nomination papers – punishable by a fine or even imprisonment.
An Electoral Commission spokesperson said the incident was not being investigated and had not been reported to police.
Her Tory rival Sally-Ann Hart lived more than 300 miles away in Hastings.
Coun Owen Temple, Liberal Democrat candidate for the seat and a member of Durham County Council, said: “It was clear to me that they can’t both be true but politics seems to be less and less about accuracy nowadays.”
Apart from three-and-a-half years spent living in Manchester as a student, the 29-year-old said she has lived in the North East all of her life.
She said: “I moved to the area before campaigning in the seat, to show commitment.
“It’s about commitment, it’s about being right there in the community when you live somewhere.”