WIREDGOV

The Electoral Commission has fined Mr Laurence Taylor £4,000 for failing to include the proper identification details (called ‘an imprint’) on a newspaper advertisement he placed during the regulated period (15 April to 23 June) for the EU referendum. It is an offence not to include an imprint on referendum material that is made available to the public during the regulated period.

Mr Taylor’s advertisement appeared in the Metro newspaper on 22 June 2016, the day before the referendum. The law requires an imprint on any material which is wholly or mainly related to the referendum.

The imprint requirements exist to provide transparency about the promoter of the material.

In concluding this case, the Commission acknowledged that Mr Taylor was not an experienced political campaigner; however, it was his responsibility to ensure that he adhered to the rules.

The fine is the highest imposed by the Commission in relation to an imprint offence. It reflects the wide reach of the advertisement and high levels of circulation of the Metro newspaper, meaning that potentially millions of people saw referendum material which did not carry the required imprint. Mr Taylor has until 6 January 2017 to pay the fine.

Commenting on the case, Bob Posner, Director of Political Finance and Regulation & Legal Counsel at the Electoral Commission, said:

“It is important that the funding and spending of campaigners at referendums and elections is fully transparent and that the rules behind this are followed. Voters must have confidence that there will be consequences if these rules are broken and we produce extensive guidance and work with campaigners to help them, but as our fine to Mr Taylor shows, we will also take action when needed.”

The monthly casework update, which includes details on all of our recently concluded investigations, can be found on our website here.

Financial penalties imposed by the Commission go into the Consolidated Fund, which is managed by HM Treasury and not the Electoral Commission.

See our guidance to all EU referendum campaigners on the imprint requirement here.

For more information please contact:

Umar Hanif at the Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0536.
Out of office hours 07789 920414 
Email uhanif@electoralcommission.org.uk

Notes to editors

1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK's democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections and are responsible for the conduct and regulation of referendums held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).
2. The Electoral Commission has a range of enforcement powers under PPERA 2000 and the European Union Referendum Act 2015 (EURA). For more information on the regulatory work of the Commission see the website here.
3. Any potential breaches of the rules which regulate political finance are considered in line with the Commission's enforcement policy which can be accessed here.
4. On the third Tuesday of every month, the Electoral Commission publishes details of concluded cases where the Commission has imposed sanctions here.
5. An individual or organisation that is issued with a sanction by the Electoral Commission has 28 days to appeal that decision.
6. The fine will increase by 50% if it is not paid within 56 days of being imposed. After a further 28 days we may take action to obtain payment through the courts using the debt recovery process.
7. The Commission regulates the requirement for all EU referendum material to include an imprint under PPERA.