Police asked to investigate Young Britons’ Foundation

The leafleting and press advertising campaign against a hung Parliament by the Young Britons’ Foundation has run into a mini-blizzard of legal queries and complaints.

Given at least one newspaper advertisement today and how widespread the leafleting campaign has been (as partly documented by Paul Walters), including several reports that at least some of the leafleting is being carried out by paid-for delivery firms, it is extremely likely that the YBF has incurred costs in excess of the £10,000 limit.

However, whilst this would require registration as a “third party” with the Commission, and the Young Britons’ Foundation Chief Executive Donal Blaney told me earlier in the day that, “I confirm that YBF is registered as a recognised third party”, according to the Electoral Commission, who I spoke to subsequently, the Young Britons’ Foundation is not currently registered.

It would appear that an application is currently being processed, which given the legal provisions about registrations coming into force when “received” by the Electoral Commission, may put the YBF in the clear on this point. However, if the application was sent in after the first financial commitments were entered in to there may still be questions to resolve. As I understand it, at least two separate complaints have gone in to the Electoral Commission already on this issue so more light should be shed on this matter soon.

That, however, is not the only legal issue faced by the Young Britons’ Foundation. Many (if not all) of the leaflets distributed so far have lacked the usual imprint information, which third party leaflets are required to have just like candidate and party leaflets if they promote or oppose any parties or candidates (even if they also have other purposes too). At least one Returning Officer in an area where the leaflets have gone out has asked the police to investigate this.