Matt Goodwin, Reform UK’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection, will not face sanctions for distributing leaflets that omitted the party’s legally required imprint, after a High Court judge ruled the omission was an inadvertent printing error.
Reform UK admitted sending approximately 81,000 leaflets to voters in the constituency, presented as being from a “concerned neighbour”, without stating they were funded and distributed by the party. Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, election material must include the name and address of the promoter, with breaches potentially leading to a £5,000 fine and a three-year disqualification from elective office.
On Wednesday, the eve of the byelection, Mr Justice Butcher granted Goodwin and his election agent, Adam Rawlinson, relief from sanctions under section 167 of the Act, which provides an exception for inadvertent errors. The judge stated he was satisfied the omission arose from inadvertence and not from a lack of good faith.
Reform UK’s barrister, Adam Richardson, told the court the error was an “honest administrative mistake” by Hardings Print Solutions, the London-based company that printed and distributed the leaflets. Proofs of the leaflet had included the imprint, but when Hardings changed the font to a larger size, the imprint was removed. The judge accepted that this change was neither requested nor desired by Goodwin or Rawlinson.
Rawlinson confirmed that draft versions of the leaflet had all included the imprint and were checked multiple times. He said Hardings had decided to use a different font at the last minute, which truncated the imprint. Hardings has publicly admitted full responsibility for the production error.
