Treasury leaflets used in campaign
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Conservatives demanded an explanation last night of how official Government leaflets came to be used as part of Labour's local election campaign.
Andrew Lansley, a Cabinet Office spokesman, wrote to the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Richard Wilson, to complain that the Treasury's budget leaflets were being delivered in North London by Labour Party activists canvassing for support.
The leaflets, entitled Prudent for a Purpose: Working for a Stronger and Fairer Britain, were posted through doors and handed out to voters, Mr Lansley said.
In his letter to Sir Richard, he called for an immediate investigation into the distribution of the leaflet and how many had been supplied to the Brent North Labour Party. He also wrote to Stephen Timms, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and Barry Gardiner, the MP for Brent North.
But a Treasury source dismissed the complaint, saying the leaflets were widely available and could have been obtained from a variety of sources. Anyone who wanted to use them was free to do so, he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments