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.
The party admitted sending about 81,000 leaflets to voters from a 'concerned neighbour', which failed to state they were funded and distributed by Reform UK. 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 office.
On Wednesday, Mr Justice Butcher granted Goodwin and his election agent, Adam Rawlinson, relief from sanctions under section 167, which allows exceptions for inadvertent errors. The judge said: '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, told the court the error was an 'honest administrative error' by Hardings Print Solutions, which printed and distributed the leaflets. Proofs included the imprint, but a font change by Hardings caused it to be removed. The judge accepted that Goodwin and Rawlinson took 'appropriate steps to put it right'.
Rawlinson said draft versions all included the imprint and were checked 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.' Hardings has publicly admitted full responsibility for the error.
