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| Tory party member votes for Jeremy Corbyn … three times | Tory party member votes for Jeremy Corbyn … three times |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| The founder of a Twitter campaign to elect Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in order to damage the party’s future chances of gaining power claims to have received three ballot papers to vote in the election, despite being a member of the Conservative party. | The founder of a Twitter campaign to elect Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in order to damage the party’s future chances of gaining power claims to have received three ballot papers to vote in the election, despite being a member of the Conservative party. |
| Charlie Mortimer, from Rugby, said he registered as a supporter of the Labour party using his first name, his middle name and his wife’s name, using the same email address and mobile phone number on all three applications. | Charlie Mortimer, from Rugby, said he registered as a supporter of the Labour party using his first name, his middle name and his wife’s name, using the same email address and mobile phone number on all three applications. |
| The 50-year-old said he received three separate ballot papers and had sent them all off voting for Corbyn in first place, with no second preference. “I’m hoping Jeremy will just walk it in the first round,” he said. | The 50-year-old said he received three separate ballot papers and had sent them all off voting for Corbyn in first place, with no second preference. “I’m hoping Jeremy will just walk it in the first round,” he said. |
| Mortimer started the online campaign #ToriesForCorbyn in June, using his Twitter name Marcher Lord to persuade Conservative party members to vote for Corbyn, the most leftwing of the four candidates, in a bid to damage the party’s future electoral chances. | Mortimer started the online campaign #ToriesForCorbyn in June, using his Twitter name Marcher Lord to persuade Conservative party members to vote for Corbyn, the most leftwing of the four candidates, in a bid to damage the party’s future electoral chances. |
| @DPJHodges Labour's vetting procedure has worked really well pic.twitter.com/Bfo4TDVaL0 | @DPJHodges Labour's vetting procedure has worked really well pic.twitter.com/Bfo4TDVaL0 |
| Mortimer avoided paying the full £3 donation for each of his ballot papers, instead ticking a box to say he was a former member of the armed forces, which allowed him to reduce his donation to £1. | Mortimer avoided paying the full £3 donation for each of his ballot papers, instead ticking a box to say he was a former member of the armed forces, which allowed him to reduce his donation to £1. |
| He said he signed up initially just to see if it was possible. “I heard there were 80,000 to 90,000 new members and only 40-odd people doing the vetting and I thought, well let’s do the maths on that. I thought there was a fair chance of sneaking through. | He said he signed up initially just to see if it was possible. “I heard there were 80,000 to 90,000 new members and only 40-odd people doing the vetting and I thought, well let’s do the maths on that. I thought there was a fair chance of sneaking through. |
| “Let’s be honest, Labour’s only chance of winning an election since the mid-70s has been when Tony Blair moved it away from the left, because the left didn’t appeal to Britain. Labour’s answer now seems to be to go further left. How is that going to work?” | “Let’s be honest, Labour’s only chance of winning an election since the mid-70s has been when Tony Blair moved it away from the left, because the left didn’t appeal to Britain. Labour’s answer now seems to be to go further left. How is that going to work?” |
| A Labour party source said Mortimer’s votes would not be counted and that the Electoral Reform Service, which is managing the voting, would not allow one individual to vote three times. | A Labour party source said Mortimer’s votes would not be counted and that the Electoral Reform Service, which is managing the voting, would not allow one individual to vote three times. |
| Under new rules anyone can vote if they pay £3 to register as a supporter, which has prompted concerns that the system could be gamed by people who oppose Labour. About 400,000 people have become eligible to vote since the general election, swelling the electorate to 600,000. | |
| Registered supporters must give signed or verbal agreement that they “support the aims and values of the Labour party” and are “not a supporter of any organisation opposed to it”. | Registered supporters must give signed or verbal agreement that they “support the aims and values of the Labour party” and are “not a supporter of any organisation opposed to it”. |
| It emerged earlier this month that 150 people who stood as candidates for the Green party, 92 members and candidates with the Trade Union and Socialist coalition (Tusc) and 18 senior figures from Left Unity had registered. | It emerged earlier this month that 150 people who stood as candidates for the Green party, 92 members and candidates with the Trade Union and Socialist coalition (Tusc) and 18 senior figures from Left Unity had registered. |
| Asked to respond to criticism that registering as a Labour supporter was fraudulent, Mortimer said: “It’s not as though I did anything really, really nasty like invade Iraq.” | Asked to respond to criticism that registering as a Labour supporter was fraudulent, Mortimer said: “It’s not as though I did anything really, really nasty like invade Iraq.” |
| Ballot papers to vote in the election began arriving on Monday, prompting many excited voters to post photographs of them on social media. BuzzFeed News revealed that the security codes on the ballot papers, visible in the pictures, could be used in the online voting system to steal people’s votes. | Ballot papers to vote in the election began arriving on Monday, prompting many excited voters to post photographs of them on social media. BuzzFeed News revealed that the security codes on the ballot papers, visible in the pictures, could be used in the online voting system to steal people’s votes. |