The Labour Party has perhaps made its most disingenuous move yet during the general election. It’s using former Tory-then-Labour hard-right MP Natalie Elphicke on party material – sending letters direct to constituents, written by her under the banner of “former Conservative MP”.
Labour: conning voters with Elphicke
A reader from Yorkshire sent the Canary a copy of the letter that Labour posted to their home address. It reads:
Rishi Sunak has failed on illegal immigration.
As the former Conservative MP for Dover, I have witnessed his failure firsthand and so have my constituents.
I could not, in good conscience, represent a party that was failing the British people on such an important issue. That’s why I left the Conservative Party and joined Labour.
The letter goes on to outline Labour’s immigration plans. Elphicke signs off by saying:
I hope that you will be able to join me and vote Labour on 4 July
It seems this person was not the only one Labour was targetting:
This is going where @NatalieElphicke should have been put. In the fucking bin… pic.twitter.com/hUhqLUZflt
— Andy Coates (@AndyWoodturner) June 19, 2024
This person is somewhere in the South East:
Labour Party –
"We're a right wing party, now.
We're going to rub that in your face.
Here's a bastard Tory.
Don't like it?
Tough."
Labour Party really not trying to get my vote…
Letter from Natalie Elphicke sent to my home address.#ToryLabour#BlueLabour#C4News pic.twitter.com/mMdP0oCaBr
— Victorian Dad (@VictorianDad2) June 19, 2024
And another:
@NatalieElphicke how about you piss off! pic.twitter.com/BvPGgybjV2
— Genuinely Concerned Citizen (@Concerned_2024) June 19, 2024
And another:
Hard right Tory Natalie Elphicke sent me a letter today telling me what labour will do to prevent Refugees reaching Britain. She doesn't know i'm not a bigot and welcome Refugees, bless her. This is how to not win my vote back. @UKLabour @Keir_Starmer pic.twitter.com/bEItJeQTnE
— S.J (@scottjacks77) June 19, 2024
Nothing illegal – just immoral
Here’s the thing.
Even though Labour is a) using Tory blue as the font colour, b) not using its branding anywhere, and c) framing the letter from someone who is not even standing as a candidate for the party, it has done nothing wrong.
This is because it has what’s called an “imprint” at the bottom of the letter. As the Electoral Commission notes:
An imprint is included on printed election material to show who is responsible for publishing the material.
An imprint must include the name and address of the person or organisation who has published the material. If they have published it on someone else’s behalf, the imprint also needs to include that person or organisation’s name and address.
Printed material must also include the name and address of the printer.
Labour has ticked all those boxes. So, it is legally allowed to do this kind of disingenuous marketing. However, ethically it stinks.
Elphicke was the worst-of-the-worst when it comes to Tory values. Anti-trade union, anti-refugee, and anti-women. Yet that all smells like a PR opportunity for the now-moral-less Labour Party. Dressing this electioneering up as a letter from a former Tory MP – complete with blue font – is clearly an attempt to manipulate voters; much like the Tories previous fad of using Green as a colour, fake newspapers, and NHS surveys.
Moreover, it is clearly happy to use xenophobic tropes in a bid to get elected – like, for example, as Elphicke says in her letter:
Criminals running riot
Nah, mate – that’s your former and current political parties, not refugees.
Labour: the dregs at the bottom of the barrel
Keir Starmer has dragged Labour down so far it’s not even scraping the bottom of the barrel anymore. It IS the dregs festering at a level so low only Nigel Farage’s Reform would even take a sip of it.
Using nasty Elphicke to push your xenophobic agenda stinks – but doing it in a way that manipulates voters is even worse.
As the reader who sent the letter to the Canary said:
This disgraceful letter arrived from the Labour Party yesterday. It has certainly influenced my voting intention.
Featured image via the Canary.
