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| Eric Pickles says Vote Leave campaign should be denied lead status | Eric Pickles says Vote Leave campaign should be denied lead status |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Sir Eric Pickles, the former Conservative cabinet minister, is calling for the main anti-EU group to be denied the right to act as the lead campaign for the leave side in the referendum, after it pledged to run a “nasty” campaign against opponents. | Sir Eric Pickles, the former Conservative cabinet minister, is calling for the main anti-EU group to be denied the right to act as the lead campaign for the leave side in the referendum, after it pledged to run a “nasty” campaign against opponents. |
| In a letter to the Electoral Commission, Pickles says he believes the Vote Leave campaign had disqualified itself by helping students to gain entry to the CBI annual conference under false pretences, where they heckled David Cameron. | In a letter to the Electoral Commission, Pickles says he believes the Vote Leave campaign had disqualified itself by helping students to gain entry to the CBI annual conference under false pretences, where they heckled David Cameron. |
| “I believe the actions of Vote Leave in disrupting the CBI conference and declaring a strategy of intimidation and protest disqualify Vote Leave from being a designated lead campaigner in the forthcoming EU referendum campaign,” Pickles wrote to the the commission’s chief executive, Claire Bassett. | “I believe the actions of Vote Leave in disrupting the CBI conference and declaring a strategy of intimidation and protest disqualify Vote Leave from being a designated lead campaigner in the forthcoming EU referendum campaign,” Pickles wrote to the the commission’s chief executive, Claire Bassett. |
| Vote Leave dismissed the Pickles letter. A spokesman for the group said: “No 10 is panicking. The BSE campaign has flopped and needs relaunching. The PM’s letter to the EU has bombed so now they are rolling out former ministers to deflect for their own failure. | Vote Leave dismissed the Pickles letter. A spokesman for the group said: “No 10 is panicking. The BSE campaign has flopped and needs relaunching. The PM’s letter to the EU has bombed so now they are rolling out former ministers to deflect for their own failure. |
| “The establishment does well out of the status quo. That’s why they are trying to stop campaigns like ours that want to change things for the benefit of everyone.” | “The establishment does well out of the status quo. That’s why they are trying to stop campaigns like ours that want to change things for the benefit of everyone.” |
| Pickles, who was appointed as the government’s anti-corruption champion after he left the cabinet in May, has decided to intervene after Vote Leave set up a fake company to allow two student protestors to gain entry to the CBI conference. Peter Lyon and Phil Sheppard unfurled a banner saying “CBI: Voice of Brussels” – the words they chanted – prompting the prime minister to mock them for foolish behaviour as they were led away by security guards. | Pickles, who was appointed as the government’s anti-corruption champion after he left the cabinet in May, has decided to intervene after Vote Leave set up a fake company to allow two student protestors to gain entry to the CBI conference. Peter Lyon and Phil Sheppard unfurled a banner saying “CBI: Voice of Brussels” – the words they chanted – prompting the prime minister to mock them for foolish behaviour as they were led away by security guards. |
| You think it is nasty? You ain’t seen nothing yet | You think it is nasty? You ain’t seen nothing yet |
| Dominic Cummings, the former special adviser to Michael Gove who serves as campaign director of Vote Leave, launched a strong defence of his tactics as he warned that companies that campaign to stay in the EU were in his “crosshairs”. Cummings told the Daily Telegraph: “You think it is nasty? You ain’t seen nothing yet.” | Dominic Cummings, the former special adviser to Michael Gove who serves as campaign director of Vote Leave, launched a strong defence of his tactics as he warned that companies that campaign to stay in the EU were in his “crosshairs”. Cummings told the Daily Telegraph: “You think it is nasty? You ain’t seen nothing yet.” |
| The Telegraph quoted Cummings: “These guys have failed the country, they are going to be under the magnifying glass. Tough ****. We are going to be tough about exposing the failure of the establishment – they can bleat that it is nasty because they don’t like scrutiny. It is going to be tough.” | The Telegraph quoted Cummings: “These guys have failed the country, they are going to be under the magnifying glass. Tough ****. We are going to be tough about exposing the failure of the establishment – they can bleat that it is nasty because they don’t like scrutiny. It is going to be tough.” |
| In his letter, Pickles said the tactics by Cummings and his remarks to the Telegraph show he has fallen foul of guidelines which suggest that campaigners need to show respect to their opponents. Cummings is hoping that his Vote Leave group will pip the rival Leave.EU [sic] group, to be designated by the commission as the “lead” leave campaign in the referendum. | In his letter, Pickles said the tactics by Cummings and his remarks to the Telegraph show he has fallen foul of guidelines which suggest that campaigners need to show respect to their opponents. Cummings is hoping that his Vote Leave group will pip the rival Leave.EU [sic] group, to be designated by the commission as the “lead” leave campaign in the referendum. |
| The commission cannot designate lead campaigns for the leave and remain sides until the parliamentary bill introducing the referendumis made law. Lead status entitles the groups to millions of pounds in public funds and airtime on television. | The commission cannot designate lead campaigns for the leave and remain sides until the parliamentary bill introducing the referendumis made law. Lead status entitles the groups to millions of pounds in public funds and airtime on television. |
| Pickles, who is examining the challenge of electoral fraud in his new role as the government’s anti-corruption champion, said Vote Leave has forfeited the right to be a designated lead campaign. “Surely an open campaign of nasty tactics against other campaigners must be taken into consideration and runs counter to your organisation’s stated objectives to ensure that the referendum ‘should be well-run and produce results that are accepted’.” | Pickles, who is examining the challenge of electoral fraud in his new role as the government’s anti-corruption champion, said Vote Leave has forfeited the right to be a designated lead campaign. “Surely an open campaign of nasty tactics against other campaigners must be taken into consideration and runs counter to your organisation’s stated objectives to ensure that the referendum ‘should be well-run and produce results that are accepted’.” |
| Related: Pro-EU camp must show some enthusiasm before it is too late | Michael White | Related: Pro-EU camp must show some enthusiasm before it is too late | Michael White |
| Pickles cites guidance on the commission website which says that a campaign’s interaction with opponents is important in assessing its suitability to be a lead campaign. The commission’s website said that one factor in its consideration process is “how the applicant intends to engage with other campaigners”. | Pickles cites guidance on the commission website which says that a campaign’s interaction with opponents is important in assessing its suitability to be a lead campaign. The commission’s website said that one factor in its consideration process is “how the applicant intends to engage with other campaigners”. |
| Will Straw, executive director of Britain Stronger In Europe, said: “Vote Leave have now made it perfectly clear that they intend to run ‘Project Nasty’. Sir Eric is absolutely right to call them out on their campaign’s tactics … Intimidating letters, threats to disrupt company AGMs, and co-opting students to do their dirty work – theses aren’t the tactics of a campaign with the confidence that it is winning the big arguments. These are the desperate acts of a side that has seen its case fall apart.” | |
| The intervention by Pickles follows intense criticism of the other anti-EU campaign, Leave.EU, which was forced to delete a tweet that sought to use Remembrance Sunday to campaign for an out vote. The tweet, which featured a picture of a Chelsea Pensioner tending the poppies outside the Tower of London last year, said: “Freedom and democracy. Let’s not give up values for which our ancestors paid the ultimate sacrifice. #LeaveEU.” | The intervention by Pickles follows intense criticism of the other anti-EU campaign, Leave.EU, which was forced to delete a tweet that sought to use Remembrance Sunday to campaign for an out vote. The tweet, which featured a picture of a Chelsea Pensioner tending the poppies outside the Tower of London last year, said: “Freedom and democracy. Let’s not give up values for which our ancestors paid the ultimate sacrifice. #LeaveEU.” |
| Andy Wigmore, the head of communications for the group, which has close links to Ukip, tweeted: “On behalf of Leave.eu we apologise unreservedly this was not intended to offend.” | Andy Wigmore, the head of communications for the group, which has close links to Ukip, tweeted: “On behalf of Leave.eu we apologise unreservedly this was not intended to offend.” |