General Election 2019: Have leaders been banned from local rallies?
1 November 2019
It's a standard sight at general elections - a party-branded bus pulls into town and off steps the party leader to be greeted by the local candidate. They pose, they smile, the leader gives a speech at a rally to crowds of activists and ends by giving their candidate a ringing endorsement. But could we be seeing a lot less of this ahead of 12 December election? As the Times has reported, the Electoral Commission has published new guidance on spending rules. The watchdog made it clear that if a party leader does anything that could be seen as promoting a particular candidate, the prospective MP must record at least a share of it against their election spending. Each candidate is limited in what they can spend, with the cap set around PS15,000 for most. In practice, that means a high-profile visit could take a hefty chunk out of a candidate's budget. The clarification follows a high-profile court case in which a senior Conservative party employee, Marion Little, was convicted of offences connected to election spending. It related to the seat of South Thanet, Kent, in 2015, which was being contested by - among others - then-UKIP leader Nigel Farage. The MP who won it for the Conservatives, Craig Mackinlay, also went on trial, but was cleared of all charges. He has since called for greater clarity around the rules. The South Thanet case hinged on how money spent and declared by the Conservative Party centrally - on staffing, hotels and other items - was allocated. The court found that because the campaign to elect Mr Mackinlay had benefitted, some of it should have been declared on the local returns instead, which would have put Mr Mackinlay's campaign well over the spending limit. The Supreme Court was asked to look at the concept of "notional" spending as part of the case. It doesn't mean party leaders won't be turning up at all in marginal seats. The updated Electoral Commission guidance says that if a "party leader gives a speech on national policy, urging local voters to vote for the party", and the candidate is not there and hasn't done anything to take advantage, then that can be classed as national spend.
The clarification follows a high-profile court case in which a senior Conservative party employee, Marion Little, was convicted of offences connected to election spending. It related to the seat of South Thanet, Kent, in 2015, which was being contested by - among others - then-UKIP leader Nigel Farage. The MP who won it for the Conservatives, Craig Mackinlay, also went on trial, but was cleared of all charges. He has since called for greater clarity around the rules. The South Thanet case hinged on how money spent and declared by the Conservative Party centrally - on staffing, hotels and other items - was allocated. The court found that because the campaign to elect Mr Mackinlay had benefitted, some of it should have been declared on the local returns instead, which would have put Mr Mackinlay's campaign well over the spending limit. The Supreme Court was asked to look at the concept of "notional" spending as part of the case.
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Why has the advice been clarified?
It doesn't mean party leaders won't be turning up at all in marginal seats. The updated Electoral Commission guidance says that if a "party leader gives a speech on national policy, urging local voters to vote for the party", and the candidate is not there and hasn't done anything to take advantage, then that can be classed as national spend.
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Will it stop party leader visits?