Electoral commission stings new centrist party for ‘misleading voters’

Electoral Commission logo and Chuka Umunna


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The UK’s election watchdog has accepted Change UK as a new political party. But the electoral commission rejected the party’s logo because it was “likely to mislead voters”.

 

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PoliticsHome reports that this means “there will now be a blank space instead of its preferred emblem on the ballot paper for next month’s European poll”.

A commission spokesperson said:

The emblem contained a hashtag, and we cannot assess the material linked to a hashtag, which will change over time, against the legal tests. The emblem also contained the acronym TIG, which we were not satisfied was sufficiently well known

Misleading: NHS privatisation

But it’s not just the branding that risks misleading the public. The party is made up of MPs who defected from the Conservatives and Labour. It claims to “believe the collective provision of public services and the NHS can be delivered through government action”. Yet it’s appointed former private healthcare lobbyist Nicola Murphy as its nominating officer. And two pro-privatisation thinktanks, the Institute for Economic Affairs and the Adam Smith Institute, have expressed support for Change UK.

As nominating officer, Murphy will authorise candidates for the centrist party, which is standing across the country in the likelihood that the UK participates in the 23 May European elections.

Murphy, the wife of Change UK MP Chris Leslie, also founded the anti-Corbyn commissioning group Labour Tomorrow. Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Benjamin Wegg-Prosser and hedge fund manager Martin Taylor both donated to the organisation, with Taylor transferring £180,000 in 2016.

And more high-profile conservatives have joined the group. On 14 April, two former Conservative MPs defected to Change UK, including former health secretary Stephen Dorrell.

On social media, people reacted to the developments:

It’s pretty obvious that Change UK actually represents the opposite: a return to the cosy Westminster-centred view of politics. Well the cat’s out of the bag and we aren’t going back.

Featured image via YouTube – Channel 4 News

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  • Show Comments

    1. We don’t know who’s funding them nor who’s guiding their policies so they were never really independent. They want to keep austerity, privatisation and stay in Europe so they don’t really want change. No matter; they’ve never put it to the people what they’re now promoting so they’re not really elected.

      Everything about them is a lie.

      Report comment

    2. My points
      P-1 has they are still in H.O.C do we taxpayer pay their wages yes or no.
      P-2 On top of us paying for the rest of parties in H.O.C
      like D.U.P.party-Tory party-Labour party -S.N.P. party-Green party?
      Should we add this new party to our taxpayer bill now yes or no?
      P-3 When UKIP new foamed party come’s into play in H.O.C we will have this
      party to pay for as well Taxpayer.
      P-4 all the parties also have claims for all sorts of cash of us taxpayer
      P-5 The more parties in H.O.C. the less cash is in our taxpayer money pot!
      My FINAL point
      P-6 Is how much of our taxpayer money is left to run our country ONLY?
      the good old U.K. Not counting Wales -Northern Ireland -Scotland,
      we have also got to keep running that all parties wast NOW!

      Report comment

      1. would like some reply input on my post please commenter.
        your views on to many parties in H.O.C getting our hard earned,
        taxpayer money but downing sweet piss all to help us voter ,
        residents of U.K. out. (looking after us all)

        Report comment

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