"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. 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."
"Reform admitted that it sent about 81,000 leaflets to the constituency's voters from a concerned neighbour, which did not state they had been funded and distributed by the party. Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, election material must include the name and address of those the document promotes. Failure to do can result in a 5,000 fine and a three-year disqualification from elective office."
"Reform's barrister, Adam Richardson, told the court the omission was the result of honest administrative error caused by Hardings Print Solutions, a London-based company which printed and distributed the leaflets. He said proofs of the document sent to the printers included an imprint stating they were distributed on behalf of Goodwin and Reform. When Hardings changed the font used on the leaflets to a larger size, this caused the statutory imprint to be removed."
Matt Goodwin, Reform UK's candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection, was granted relief from potential sanctions for approximately 81,000 leaflets that lacked mandatory party imprints. Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, election materials must include the name and address of those promoting the document, with violations carrying fines up to £5,000 and three-year disqualification from office. A high court judge accepted that the omission resulted from inadvertent error when the printing company changed the font size, causing the imprint to be removed. The judge found no evidence of bad faith and confirmed that Goodwin and his election agent took appropriate corrective steps. Relief was granted under section 167, which permits exceptions for breaches arising from inadvertence or reasonable cause.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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