Matt Goodwin, Reform UK's candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection, will not face sanctions for distributing leaflets without the required imprint, after a High Court judge ruled the omission was an inadvertent printing error.
Reform UK admitted sending about 81,000 leaflets to voters from a 'concerned neighbour' that did not state they were funded and distributed by the party, as required under the Representation of the People Act 1983. The law mandates election material include the promoter's name and address, with potential penalties of a £5,000 fine and three-year disqualification from office.
On Wednesday, Mr Justice Butcher granted Goodwin and his election agent, Adam Rawlinson, relief under section 167 of the Act, which allows exceptions for inadvertent errors. The judge said he was satisfied the omission arose from inadvertence and not from want of good faith.
Reform's barrister, Adam Richardson, told the court the error was an 'honest administrative mistake' by Hardings Print Solutions, the London-based printer. Proofs of the leaflet included the imprint, but when Hardings changed the font to a larger size, the imprint was removed. The judge accepted that the change was neither requested nor desired by Goodwin's team.
Rawlinson stated that draft versions sent between the team and Hardings all included the imprint, and the error occurred when Hardings changed the font at the last minute, truncating the imprint. Hardings publicly accepted full responsibility for the production error.
