A far-right group, Patriotic Alternative (PA), allegedly produced counterfeit leaflets purporting to be from the Labour Party and the Conservative Party in an effort to sway voters during two parliamentary by-elections, according to a forthcoming Channel 4 Dispatches documentary.
The group reportedly distributed thousands of fake Labour leaflets in the lead-up to the 2021 Batley and Spen by-election, the constituency of murdered MP Jo Cox. The leaflets depicted Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer taking the knee and claimed the party believed “the biggest threat to our precious multicultural society is whiteness.” A Trades Union Congress (TUC) spokesperson condemned the leaflets, stating the TUC had no involvement.
Emails from PA senior figure Sam Melia, uncovered by Dispatches journalists, allegedly revealed the group’s intent to dissuade white working-class voters from supporting Labour. In one email, Melia reportedly said PA founder Mark Collett had “designed some spoof Labour leaflets” and that the group could “say we shaved off white votes from Labour.”
The documentary also claims PA distributed around 15,000 fake Conservative leaflets during the 2022 Southend West by-election, the constituency of murdered MP Sir David Amess. These leaflets falsely stated the Tories were “proud” to have “fast tracked 25,000 Afghan ‘refugees’ into Britain.” The leaflets bore a postcode in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, linked to the neo-nazi group.
Nick Lowles, CEO of Hope Not Hate, called for prosecution if the group broke the law, stating it is “totally illegal to put out a leaflet in the name of another organisation during an election.” PA responded by accusing the filmmakers of producing “biased and politicised hatchet jobs.” The Electoral Commission has previously rejected PA’s applications to register as a political party.
