The Conservative party’s candidate for London mayor has drawn cross-party condemnation for sending voters letters using fake “City Hall” insignia, the second time the campaign has used similar tactics in recent weeks.
Letters sent to potential voters by the campaign of Shaun Bailey said Londoners’ taxes would rise “If you do not take action”, in language that echoed financial penalty notices.
The letters were marked on the outside with text saying “Do not ignore”. On the inside the letters were marked with a fake City Hall coat of arms, with a cod Latin motto underneath.
The letters, which did not explicitly mention the Conservative party, directed voters to a website that asked for a name, email and postcode, potentially valuable information for campaigners ahead of the next London mayoral election. The election, scheduled for May 2021, was originally planned for May 2020, but was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The Labour incumbent, Sadiq Khan, is the strong favourite to win.
The Conservative mayoral campaign used the same approach last month, publishing a “facts” leaflets and a website which also did not make their source clear.
Will Moy, chief executive of Full Fact, an independent factchecking charity, said: “It is inappropriate and misleading for a candidate for mayor of London to brand campaign material as coming from City Hall.
“Self-respecting politicians should make their arguments in their own names.”
Politicians from both Labour and the Liberal Democrats called for Bailey to apologise.
Wes Streeting, Labour MP for Ilford North, said: “The Tory mayoral candidate is now making a regular habit of deliberately lying to Londoners and spreading fake news.”
Streeting said the Conservative party government was pushing for council tax to increase.
He said: “The numbers the Tory candidate is using are a complete fantasy – simply designed to scare Londoners at a time when many are facing financial hardship because of the pandemic.”
Luisa Porritt, the Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate, said the letter was a “heartless, cheap trick to play at a time so many Londoners are worried sick about making ends meet”.
A spokesman for the Bailey campaign did not respond to questions about the propriety of the leaflets. In a statement he repeated the claims about tax rises and alleged “wasteful spending” by Khan. “Londoners have a right to know the full facts. And the fact is Sadiq Khan’s planning to hike his share of council tax,” the spokesman said.
The Conservative candidate is trailing well behind Khan in opinion polls.
Khan held a 21-point lead in a poll last month by the Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London and YouGov. The poll said Khan would win 51% in the first round of voting – a result that would mean a second round of voting would not be required.