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Jo Swinson wins court bid to stop SNP 'fracking' leaflet | |
(32 minutes later) | |
Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson has won her court case over an SNP leaflet which accuses her of accepting a £14,000 donation from "a fracking company". | |
Ms Swinson asked the Court of Session in Edinburgh to stop the Royal Mail from distributing the leaflet in her East Dunbartonshire constituency. | |
The SNP's QC had argued there was no "substantial untruth" in the leaflet. | |
Lord Pentland said a statement on the leaflet was false in substance, materially inaccurate and defamatory. | |
He said: "I don't consider it would be right for an official election leaflet which contains a prima facie defamatory statement to be distributed by the Royal Mail." | |
Lord Pentland ordered the party and its candidate Amy Callaghan to pay Ms Swinson's costs. | |
The SNP's legal team is considering an appeal. | |
'No substantial untruth' | 'No substantial untruth' |
Roddy Dunlop QC told the court earlier that a director of Warwick Energy, a renewable energy company which holds licences for fracking, had made the £14,000 donation in a personal capacity to Ms Swinson's constituency office. | |
The QC said the donation had not been made to Ms Swinson personally and had not come from a fracking company. | The QC said the donation had not been made to Ms Swinson personally and had not come from a fracking company. |
He added: "It does have a fracking licence but it doesn't engage in shale gas fracking." | He added: "It does have a fracking licence but it doesn't engage in shale gas fracking." |
For the SNP, Jonathan Mitchell QC said there was no "substantial untruth" in the leaflet. He said the money was from a "fracking source." | For the SNP, Jonathan Mitchell QC said there was no "substantial untruth" in the leaflet. He said the money was from a "fracking source." |
He added: "These are allegations, disgraceful allegations, made against her which have been out in the public domain since June. | He added: "These are allegations, disgraceful allegations, made against her which have been out in the public domain since June. |
"The criticism is of her voting record and her connection to frackers. | "The criticism is of her voting record and her connection to frackers. |
"There is no substantial falseness in any of this." | "There is no substantial falseness in any of this." |