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Tories accused of ‘unfathomable’ failure to pledge against election intimidation
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The Conservative Party has been condemned for refusing to sign a joint pledge against abuse and intimidation of election candidates.
Boris Johnson’s party is the only major party to reject the short pledge, which was established after the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016.
Opposition parties are calling for urgent action ahead of Thursday’s local elections, citing the Tories’ refusal to sign the pledge, which calls on politicians to “promote and defend the dignity of others” as “unfathomable”.
The government is also facing accusations of staying “silent” over an official report detailing abuse some candidates face in local elections.
In a rare intervention, the Committee on Standards in Public Life – which wrote the report – said it is “concerned” by the government’s failure to respond to its recommendations, which were published more than two years ago.
One local election candidate who suffered abuse in the last election told openDemocracy: “The fact I’m almost not surprised by this makes me feel groomed to believe it’s normal.
“It’s like they’re saying it’s every person for themselves,” she said. “It’s unacceptable.”
The 2019 review made a range of recommendations to clean up politics and keep local election candidates safe. But the government says it is still considering the report.
Dr Jane Martin, who led the committee’s local government report, said: “We are concerned that it is taking a long time to get a government response to our report and recommendations. We are mindful that the May local government elections are coming up.”
[1] Url:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/tories-accused-of-unfathomable-failure-to-pledge-against-election-intimidation/
