‘Why are people voting Tory, asked electoral watchdog chief ’
LAWYERS for the Conservative Party have written to the Electoral Commission questioning the impartiality of one of the organisation’s most senior staff,
The Daily Telegraph understands. Louise Edwards, the commission’s head of compliance, reportedly posted in 2010 negative comments about the party in which she said she could not “understand what people were thinking” after electing David Cameron.
A second Conservative letter accused the commission of bias for not investigating Labour, the SNP and the Liberal Democrats over reports that they did not properly declare election spending during the 2015 campaign.
The Conservative Party is under investigation by the watchdog after admitting it did not properly declare accommodation costs during the general election. Last night Charles Walker MP demanded that experts look at other political parties and warned its “impartiality” will be threatened if it refuses.
He said: “If the Electoral Commission does not look at these issues, it could give the impression that the commission is not being impartial or indeed is behaving in a way that could lead to it being accused of political bias.”
A Conservative source said the party wants the watchdog to “recognise” that it is not just the Tories facing questions about how spending was declared.
The letters form part of a fightback after the Conservatives were criticised for failing to declare battlebus spending correctly. It is now being investigated by the commission and a number of local police forces.
In a letter about Ms Edwards last night, lawyers for the Conservatives are understood to have raised questions about the head of compliance’s impartiality after she wrote on Facebook: “Just can’t understand what peo-
‘The Commission could give the impression it is behaving in a way that could lead it to being accused of bias’
ple were thinking – do they not remember the Tories before?” She also posted a message about not wanting to live under a Conservative Government.
Both were put online before she took up the job at the commission.
An Electoral Commission spokesman said: “We are satisfied that the Commission is acting fully in accordance with our enforcement policy and with complete impartiality.” The spokesman added that the Facebook extracts “do not impact on the investigation currently being undertaken”.