A high court judge has ruled that Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin will not face sanctions for distributing election leaflets without a legally required imprint, accepting that the omission was due to an inadvertent printing error. The decision came on the eve of the Gorton and Denton byelection, where Goodwin is standing as the party's candidate.
Legal Breach and Potential Penalties
Reform UK admitted sending approximately 81,000 leaflets to voters in the constituency from a "concerned neighbour," which failed to state they had been funded and distributed by the party. Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, all election material must include the name and address of those promoting the document. Failure to comply can result in a £5,000 fine and a three-year disqualification from elective office.
Judge's Ruling on Inadvertent Error
On Wednesday, Mr Justice Butcher granted Goodwin and his election agent, Adam Rawlinson, relief from these sanctions under section 167 of the act. This provision allows exceptions if breaches are due to inadvertent error or other reasonable causes. The judge stated, "I'm satisfied that the omission arose from inadvertence, or some other reasonable cause of a like nature, and did not arise for want of good faith."
Reform's barrister, Adam Richardson, informed the court that the omission resulted from an "honest administrative error" by Hardings Print Solutions, a London-based company responsible for printing and distributing the leaflets. Richardson explained that proofs sent to the printers included an imprint stating the leaflets were distributed on behalf of Goodwin and Reform UK.
Font Change Leads to Omission
The court heard that when Hardings changed the font used on the leaflets to a larger size, this caused the statutory imprint to be removed. Justice Butcher accepted this account, noting, "The omission resulted from an error in the production phase, due to a change of font. I'm satisfied that was neither requested nor desired from the claimants."
Rawlinson testified that draft versions of the leaflet exchanged between Goodwin's team and Hardings all included the imprint and were checked "in the usual way multiple times." He added, "For reasons known only to themselves, Hardings decided to put on a different font at the last minute. Had they known that was going to take place, they would have prevented it."
Content of the Leaflet and Response
The missing imprint was from a leaflet featuring an open letter by Patricia Clegg, a 74-year-old who decided to switch her support from Labour to Reform UK. Richardson confirmed the leaflet was sent to all 81,000 voters in the constituency. The court also heard that Hardings had "publicly admitted full responsibility for the production error."
Justice Butcher further stated he was satisfied that Goodwin and his agent took "appropriate steps to put it right." Lawyers representing the acting returning officer attended the hearing but made no representations during the proceedings.
This ruling highlights the strict legal requirements for election materials in the UK and the potential consequences for non-compliance, while also demonstrating how courts may consider the context of errors in enforcement decisions.
