Has Kerry McCarthy Broken the Law

The Labour Twitter Queen Kerry McCarthy.........Labour Bristol East may have just committed an election gaff of HUGE proportions.

Come on Kerry ......... What have you done ?????


She tweeted as follows


@Kerry4MP First PVs opened in east Bristol, our sample: UKIP **; TUSC** ; BNP ** Lib Dem **; Tory **; Labour **. #gameON!


PV meaning postal votes. Surely this is not right? I have hidden the actual number because it is illegal to report a sample of postal votes as it is in effect an exit poll and this could influence voting on the day. The tweet itself has now been deleted.

I tweeted back @Kerry4MP really then sampling should not be allowed esp if its public knowllege.

Then @markpack replied @Kerry4MP @mikeytweeting That's still illegal though - whether the figures you publish are from sampling or official totals.

lordbonkers tweeted this @kerry4mp suggest you read this http://www.ministryoftruth.org.uk/2007/07/18/welcome-to-the-jeffrey-archer-suite-belmarsh/

Which includes this from Schedule 6, Section 66A of the 2000 amendments to the Representation of the People Act 1983, to whit:

“66A. - (1) No person shall, in the case of an election to which this section applies, publish before the poll is closed-
(a) any statement relating to the way in which voters have voted at the election where that statement is (or might reasonably be taken to be) based on information given by voters after they have voted, or
(b) any forecast as to the result of the election which is (or might reasonably be taken to be) based on information so given.
(2) This section applies to-
(a) any parliamentary election; and
(b) any local government election in England or Wales.
(3) If a person acts in contravention of subsection (1) above, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months.”

Kerry defended this by tweeting Kerry4MP defended this by tweeting '@dazmando @markpack On reflection, I've deleted. It's not counting, just random exercise'

Parlez_me_nTory Tweeted to Kerry 'AHEM! RT @ianvisits: this: http://j.mp/bmJaom RT @Kerry4MP 1st PVs opened in east Bristol, our sample: Lib Dem **; Tory **; Labour ** '

Kerry4MP then turned the tables back on @Parlez_me_nTory by tweeting @Parlez_me_nTory @ianvisits I think you two perhaps shouldn't compound the error? My mistake - hands up! But you can't do it either'.

Perhaps getting them in trouble too. Oh dear!

I think this could be the worst tweet Kerry McCarthy has done in her career it is after all against the law.

We wait and see where this leads.

I'm also a little shocked that an MP didn't know or think about the rules governing disclosure of votes before the closing of the polls on Thursday next week.


With Thanks to the Bracknell Blogger