The July 4 UK general election and the May local, mayoral and PCC (Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales) elections had ‘concerning’ levels of abuse and intimidation of candidates, says the Electoral Commission. Just over half of candidates (55 per cent) said they faced some kind of problem with harassment, intimidation, or abuse during the election campaign. Women and ethnic minorities were particularly targeted.
The Commission reports that candidates found abuse and threats came above all online; and secondly when out canvassing.
For the first time, all candidates at the general election were offered basic security during the campaign. As part of the police’s Operation Bridger, candidates also had access to a dedicated, named, police contact in every force to raise concerns or threats against them. The Commission says that police forces and prosecutors should continue to treat allegations and cases of election-related intimidation seriously. Those committing offences against candidates and campaigners should face ‘significant sanction’.
As for the political parties, the Commission says that they should ensure that membership rules emphasise respect for other campaigners, and take appropriate action to sanction members found to have abused or harassed campaigners. And as for social media and online platforms, the Commission asks that they should help develop improved screening tools for candidates’ digital profiles, to remove abusive content and identify perpetrators.
Only one in five (21pc) of the candidates who responded to the Commission, who told it that they received abuse, harassment or intimidation reported it to the police. The most common reason given for not reporting abuse was that candidates felt it was too low-level or was not serious enough to be worth reporting. Others said that they did not report it because they felt there was no point or that nothing would be done.
Comment
Vijay Rangarajan, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, said: “The level of harassment and intimidation faced by candidates is particularly concerning, and requires urgent and coordinated action. Those standing for public office should not be subjected to abuse. It is deterring some people from standing to be candidates, and inhibiting how some engage with voters – both of which risk weakening our robust democratic debate. We’ll work with partners to implement effective solutions.
“There is now a window of opportunity to make these crucial improvements, ahead of the 2026 Welsh and Scottish elections, and a future UK general election.”
Some 4,515 candidates stood for election on July 4, over a thousand more than at the December 2019 general election. The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, announced he would convene a Speaker’s Conference on abuse and intimidation.
