The Normal Election may very well be hit by a sequence of authorized challenges after it emerged that hundreds of postal ballots haven’t been delivered on time.
At the very least 13 constituencies have been affected by the fiasco, eight of that are marginal seats.
The disaster has been brought on by councils not printing sufficient poll papers and Royal Mail not delivering on time, it’s claimed.
One Tory supply raised the prospect of wholesale authorized challenges after polling day: ‘The primary factor to recollect is, in most constituencies, Conservatives do higher on the postal votes.
‘So that is prone to be disproportionately extra damaging to the Tories than anybody else.’
Rishi Sunak, the chief of the Conservative social gathering which is prone to be disproportionately impacted by late postal ballots, speaks to armed forces veterans in Richmond on June 29
It has emerged that hundreds of postal votes haven’t been delivered on time
Different events might additionally mount challenges, the supply added.
‘What might occur is that each one types of outcomes may very well be challenged. We might find yourself with an entire mess after the Normal Election, with folks questioning the outcomes.’
Chingford & Woodford Inexperienced, the place former Tory chief Sir Iain Duncan Smith is defending a wafer-thin majority of 1,262, is without doubt one of the affected constituencies, sources declare.
Yesterday he urged each Royal Mail and native councils to take motion, saying: ‘We’re demanding they act instantly.’
Waltham Forest Council, which is throughout the constituency, mentioned: ‘Our postal votes have been despatched out on time, earlier than the deadline. If anybody is having any issues, please contact us as early as attainable and we are going to attempt to resolve it.’
At the very least 2,600 postal votes have been despatched out late in North West Essex, the place Kemi Badenoch, the Enterprise Secretary, is standing.
Some postal voters in Rutland and Stamford – the place Tory Alicia Kearns is standing – have but to obtain their poll papers.
The council, nevertheless, insisted that it issued the postal votes ‘on time’ to Royal Mail.
Six affected seats are in Scotland, the place the varsity time period ends sooner than elsewhere within the UK. Some voters went on vacation overseas earlier than their postal ballots arrived.
Chingford & Woodford Inexperienced, the place former Tory chief Sir Iain Duncan Smith (pictured) is defending a wafer-thin majority of 1,262, is without doubt one of the affected constituencies
At the very least 2,600 postal votes have been despatched out late in North West Essex, the place Enterprise Secretary Kemi Badenoch (pictured) is standing
Some postal voters in Rutland and Stamford – the place Tory Alicia Kearns (pictured) is standing – have but to obtain their poll papers
Cathy Bloor, from Aberdeenshire, informed the Right this moment programme on BBC Radio 4 that she had not acquired her postal vote earlier than going away and can’t now vote.
‘I’ve voted in Normal Elections all my life and to overlook this one simply makes me fairly upset,’ she mentioned. ‘I simply really feel like I’ve actually missed out.’
Edinburgh and Fife councils have arrange emergency voting cubicles in order that postal voters who haven’t acquired their ballots can vote in individual.
A Royal Mail spokesman mentioned: ‘The place issues have been raised, resembling in Scotland, we now have investigated and confirmed all votes are being delivered as quickly as they enter our community.’
