Prepare for European elections, parties told
BRITAIN’s political parties have been formally told by the electoral regulator to prepare to fight the European Parliament elections in May as fears of a lengthy delay to Brexit grow.
In a move likely to anger Brexiteers, 23 pages of guidance, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, has been made available by the Electoral Commission.
The document states as fact to parties hoping to stand candidates that “on May 23, 2019, voters in the United King- dom will cast their ballot to elect 73 Members of the European Parliament”.
The elections would trigger a likely return to the front line for Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader who is heading a new Brexit party of candidates.
The regulator has set aside £686,000 to stage the elections. Conservative MEPs have already been asked if they will stand if there is an extension to the Brexit negotiations.
The European Union and Theresa May have both said that any lengthy extension would mean Britain having to run the elections in May. The Prime Minister will ask the EU for a shorter extension if her deal is supported in a vote next week at an EU summit on Thursday, March 21.
The guidance warns parties that the period when donations are regulated by the Commission started on Jan 23 and runs until election day, May 23.
It reminds parties that spending is limited in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and offers to help finance officers work out the spending limits. The guidance also sets out what is defined as “spending”, including
websites, YouTube videos, the production of manifestos and staging of press conferences. Bob Posner, the Commission’s chief executive, said £686,000 – which must be approved by a Commons committee chaired by the Speaker John Bercow – had been set aside for the elections. So far £3,500 from a budget for 2018-19 has been spent translating the guidance into Welsh.
In a letter to Jane Collins, a Ukip MEP, he said: “It is important that we support parties and campaigners to make the necessary contingency plans. We have therefore issued guidance which will provide political parties and non-party campaigners with helpful information and support in the event of the elections going ahead, noting that we are now in what would be the regulated period for the poll.”
But Ms Collins said: “MPs will delay Brexit as long as they possibly can and if we are still members by May 23 we will need to re-elect MEPs. A country that voted to leave could, almost three years later, end up sending MEPs back to Brussels, such is the incompetence of Theresa May’s Brexit strategy. It makes a mockery of democracy.”
The Telegraph understands that the Conservative leadership has reached out in Brussels and Strasbourg to see how many MEPs would be willing to fight in the elections.
Two further Conservative party sources confirmed that the search for fresh candidates had begun.
One Tory said: “I struggle to think what our manifesto would be. We would get massacred. God knows what our selection process would be. What on earth would we be telling voters?
“If the third meaningful vote is defeated we will begin making sure we are ready to take part in the elections.”
Last week Mrs May warned in the House of Commons for the first time that European Parliament elections could have to be held if there was a lengthy delay to Brexit.