Reform UK fury as election flyers ‘binned by postman’ | Politics | News
Royal Mail has launched an investigation into claims a postal worker threw Reform UK party leaflets into the bin and sabotaged their campaign. Nigel Farage described it, if true, as “an attack on the democratic process” ahead of local elections on 7 May.
The uproar was triggered by a post on a private Facebook group for Royal Mail staff, in which a worker allegedly bragged about throwing leaflets his office was supposed to deliver into the bin. “I threw them all in a trash can,” he wrote. He added: “They might fire me!” and “IDGAF!”, an abbreviation for “I don’t give up ***”.
Lawyers acting on behalf of the party wrote to Alistair Cochrane, the chief executive of Royal Mail, demanding an internal investigation. They said the behavior “undermined the democratic process and Reformation England’s legal right to campaign politically”.
They added: “The deliberate destruction of materials by a Royal Mail employee therefore constitutes a serious affront to fundamental democratic principles, the right to have communications of a major political party delivered impartially by the public postal service, and the hundreds of thousands of voters who have the right to receive information from all parties on an equal basis.”
The lawyers asked Mr Cochrane to take disciplinary action against the worker. Royal Mail confirmed it would investigate.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “If this is true it would be deeply disturbing and an attack on the democratic process, but this is not the first time I have come across it. I am calling for Royal Mail to investigate urgently.”
Latest vote Election Account He claimed that if a general election were held today, Reform would receive 24 percent of the vote, with the Conservatives ahead of Labor with 21 percent and third with 17 percent.
According to the Royal Mail website, election managers operate in every constituency in the UK to offer support and “ensure your postal campaign runs smoothly”.
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Royal Mail plays a crucial role in elections. We take our responsibility very seriously and do not tolerate deliberate non-delivery of mail. We are investigating this allegation and are committed to impartial delivery for all candidates.”
According to the rules of the Facebook group where the message was allegedly posted, which has more than 30,000 members, anything shared “may be read by Royal Mail officials and may lead to action.” [sic] and ultimately dismissal”.
