A former high prosecutor has hit out after the Conservatives twice reported Labour candidates to police simply days earlier than the native elections.
The double whammy got here as Rishi Sunak’s celebration confronted predictions it might lose as much as 500 councillors throughout England and battle in two crunch mayoral votes.
Nazir Afzal, a former chief crown prosecutor, warned police forces have been “being weaponised as a part of the marketing campaign by those that don’t care in regards to the issues dealing with policing – significantly resourcing”.
He additionally referred to as for complaints throughout elections to be taken away from native forces and for prosecutions of “these with frivolous accusations for losing police time”.
On Wednesday, West Midlands Police mentioned it was assessing an allegation towards Richard Parker, Labour’s candidate within the crunch election for the mayor of the West Midlands.
That battle, alongside the vote for the mayor of the Tees Valley, was extensively seen as essential for Mr Sunak’s future, with insurgent Tories prepared to maneuver towards him had the celebration misplaced them.
On Wednesday, The Unbiased revealed that the Tories had reported a Labour council group in Milton Keynes, a hotly contested bellwether seat, to Thames Valley Police.
Labour sources condemned the grievance towards Mr Parker as “shameful political sport enjoying” because the Conservatives confronted a disastrous set of election outcomes.
Labour claimed the usage of police complaints by the Conservatives forward of the native elections was “turning into greater than a behavior”.
The double reporting of Labour final week follows the Conservatives’ push for an investigation into allegations Labour deputy chief Angela Rayner broke electoral regulation over the sale of her former council home.
Mr Afzal instructed the Unbiased: “On the complaints being lodged with police throughout the elections, I’ve lengthy believed that we should always deal with elections as we deal with massive sporting occasions, the place a particular nationwide police unit is ready up only for the election interval to rapidly assess and examine the place acceptable.
“The present course of the place particular person forces are used is being weaponised as a part of the marketing campaign by those that don’t care in regards to the issues dealing with policing – significantly resourcing. Take it away from native police and prosecute these with frivolous accusations for losing police time and it’ll cease.”
Mr Afzal has beforehand mentioned that based mostly on what’s within the public area, the Crown Prosecution Service would take no motion towards Ms Rayner.
Within the West Midlands, Gary Sambrook, the Tory MP for Birmingham Northfield, wrote to police over claims Labour’s candidate could have damaged residency guidelines to get on the poll paper, one thing the celebration emphatically denies.
In Milton Keynes, Tory MP Ben Everitt mentioned he had made a police grievance over literature he alleged got here from the native Labour council group and which he mentioned was “deceptive” and “breaches election regulation”.
The row focuses on the failure to open a brand new GP surgical procedure.
In an electronic mail to Thames Valley Police, he wrote that Labour had instructed residents that proposals for the surgical procedure have been refused as a result of the Conservative authorities didn’t launch the required funds.
He mentioned this was “demonstrably false” and emails present it was Milton Keynes Council which stopped the event, by advising towards making use of for planning permission.
Labour dismissed the allegation. A spokesperson accused the Tories of getting “clearly misunderstood”.
She mentioned: “They don’t seem to be being accused of blocking the brand new surgical procedure. They’re being rightly accused of, and held to account for, persistently failing to ship the required funding for brand spanking new infrastructure in Milton Keynes.
“Fairly than losing invaluable police time and sources, the Conservatives ought to apologise to the folks of Milton Keynes for letting them down for the final 20 years.”