Nigel Farage’s party has demanded an urgent investigation.
Reform UK has demanded Royal Mail investigates the allegations (Image: Getty)
Royal Mail has launched an investigation into allegations that a postal worker threw Reform UK‘s party leaflets in the bin and sabotaged their campaign. Nigel Farage deemed it an “attack on the democratic process” ahead of the upcoming local elections on May 7, if it were found to be true.
The uproar was triggered over a post in a private Facebook group for Royal Mail staff, in which a worker allegedly boasted about throwing leaflets in the bin that his office should have delivered. “I dumped them all in a bin,” he wrote. He added: “They can sack me!” and “IDGAF!”, an acronym for “I don’t give a f***”.
Royal Mail has launched an internal investigation (Image: Getty)
Lawyers acting on behalf of the party wrote to Alistair Cochrane, the chief executive of Royal Mail, demanding an internal investigation. They said the conduct “undermines the democratic process and Reform UK’s lawful right to engage in political campaigning”.
They added: “The deliberate destruction of its materials by a Royal Mail employee therefore represents a serious affront to basic democratic principles, to the right of a major political party to have its communications delivered impartially by the public postal service, and to the hundreds of thousands of voters who are entitled to receive information from all parties on an equal basis.”
Lawyers asked Mr Cochrane to undertake disciplinary action against the worker. Royal Mail confirmed it would investigate.
Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, said: “If this is found to be true, it would be very disturbing and an attack on the democratic process, albeit this is not the first time that I have encountered this. I am calling on Royal Mail to investigate as a matter of urgency.”
It comes as Reform UK are expected to secure major victories in the North and East of England in the local elections on May 7, while Labour has been forecast to suffer major losses.
Latest polling from the Electoral Calculus suggested Reform would take 24% of the vote if a general election were to happen today, ahead of the Conservatives at 21%, with Labour in third place on 17%.
According to the Royal Mail website, election managers operate in each electoral region of the UK to offer support and “ensure that your mail campaign runs smoothly”.
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Royal Mail plays a crucial role in elections. We take our responsibility very seriously and do not tolerate the deliberate non‑delivery of mail. We are investigating this allegation and remain committed to impartial delivery for all candidates.”
According to the rules of the Facebook group where the message was allegedly posted, which has more than 30,000 members, anything posted may be “read by Royal Mail officials and can lead to conduct [sic] and ultimately dismissal”.