A pensioner quoted in a controversial by-election letter for Reform UK never gave her “sign off” for it and is now being “hounded” online, her furious son has claimed.
The letter – using a handwriting-style font and addressed from a “concerned neighbour” named Patricia Clegg, aged 74 – landed through the doors of those living in the Gorton and Denton constituency last week.
But the leaflet did not have the imprint that is legally required to make clear the material had been funded and distributed by a political party -amounting to a potential breach of electoral law which has since been reported to Greater Manchester Police.
Reform UK insisted that Mrs Clegg is a real party member from the area who agreed to put her name to the letter, and that the “genuine error” not to include any mention of the party was made by its printing company.
In the campaign leaflet, Mrs Clegg urged voters to support Nigel Farage’s candidate Matt Goodwin in the upcoming by-election in Manchester.
However her Andrew has shared his anger about the saga and has demanded answers from Farage’s party.
The former Reform UK supporter is a decorated British Army veteran, who had been regularly posting his support for the party in recent months, but now says it has lost his support.
The campaign leaflet from ‘Patricia Clegg’ will be investigated by police (Photo: Facebook)In a series of messages left on Goodwin’s page over the weekend, Mr Clegg claimed that his mother was now being “hounded” because of the controversy over the letter.
While confirming she did write it, he said that it was “never signed off”.
“Her name plastered all over at Reform’s fault,” Mr Clegg said. “Printers? No, it’s Reform [that] left my mum to the dogs. I was a supporter and a fan that stood up for a party I agreed was right – now no more.”
He added that his mother had been “hounded” to the point that she had deleted all her social media accounts and now “can’t take a call”.
“74 years old and shit on,” Mr Clegg said.
When approached by The i Paper on Monday, he said his primary focus was on the wellbeing of his mother and he did not want to make any further comment.
Reform UK confirmed it had spoken to both Mrs Clegg and her family about the leaflet error.
Matt Goodwin campaigns with Nigel Farage in the by-election, which is due to be held on 26 February (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty)The Electoral Commission said that failing to include an imprint in candidate election material was an offence but was a “matter for the police”.
“All printed material promoting a candidate at an election is required to include an imprint identifying the promoter and printer of the material, so voters know who is responsible for it,” a spokesperson said.
Greater Manchester Police said it had received complaints about the leaflet and that it would be investigated.
A spokesperson for Reform UK said: “We have been in direct contact with Patricia Clegg and her family, and we have apologised for the distress caused by a genuine error on the part of a third-party contractor, which was entirely outside our control.
“We are pleased to say that Patricia is still planning on voting for Matt Goodwin on February 26 to boot Keir Starmer out of Downing Street.”
A spokesperson previously said that the campaign had ordered the material “with the full and correct legal imprint, fully compliant with election law” but “an error occurred during the printing process”.
Hardings Print Solutions, in Middlesex, which printed the letter, said it had taken “full responsibility” for the error.
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