Police reviewing complaint over Reform UK’s free energy bills competition

A statement was released

On Thursday, Nigel Farage rocked up at a front door in Wigan to tell 'June and Ray' that he would be paying for their entire street's energy bills for a year.

This left many unsurprised when the winners turned out to have already been pictured with Nigel Farage and the couple were also identified by the Reform Wigan Facebook page as "staunch branch members" of the party.

While what appears to be competition rigging might not be everyone's cup of tea, this isn't actually what has landed the right-wing party in hot water, but rather the timing of all this.

This is because the competition concluded after 30 March, the start of the pre-election period for local authorities, meaning it could be considered as 'treating'.

This claim was echoed by MP Karl Turner who had his Labour whip removed in March.

Treating, under the Representation of the People Act 1983, is effectively a form of corruption where food, drink, entertainment, or other provisions are directly or indirectly given to voters to influence how they vote.

This all comes as Greater Manchester Police said in a statement it had received a report about the competition and that officers "are currently reviewing the matter", but did not disclose what the potential offence is about.

Nigel Farage has already spoken about the matter, saying on Friday that he is "not the least bit worried" about the claims.

The Electoral Commission said in a statement: "Some activity designed to incentivise voter behaviour may be considered an offence, including bribery and treating.

"It would be for the police to consider the facts of any allegations made to them, in order to determine if an offence has been committed. Any allegations should be reported directly to the police."

Speaking on the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips show Zia Yusuf, Reform's spokesperson for home affairs, said those who reported the competition to police "should be embarrassed".

In a scenario reminiscent of the current situation, back in 1911, an MP was forced to resign for treating in after offering voters coal.

Meanwhile, other concerns were raised over the handling of personal data with people handing over their name, email phone number, who they voted for in the previous election and who they intend on voting for in the upcoming local election.

A Reform spokesman said: "We've had the raffle checked by our party barrister and an independent KC.

"We have two legal written opinions on it, and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has come back to us and said everything is fine."

A spokesperson for the ICO said: "All political parties collecting personal information, including information for political campaigning, need to comply with data protection law.

"We're in regular contact with political parties about how they use people's data. We have spoken with Reform about this competition and improving transparency in how they handle people's personal information.

"People who are concerned about how their information is being used by any political party can raise those concerns with the party, and if they remain dissatisfied can make a complaint to the ICO."