In an action brought by @GoodLawProject and funded by you via @Crowdjustice the HC has just found that the Electoral Commission erred in law. I will publish a full analysis shortly – link to follow – but the headlines are these. THREAD
First, the Electoral Commission unlawfully gave permission to Vote Leave to spend more than Parliament had allowed. It gave that permission to VL but there is no suggestion it gave it to Stronger In. The body in charge of ensuring the Referendum was fair ensured it was unfair. /1
Second, Vote Leave broke the law twice over. It broke the law – as the EC has already found – by ‘working together’ with Darren Grimes. The EC never permitted working together. But it also broke the law by acting on the basis of the Electoral Commission’s unlawful advice. /2
Third, the shady ‘Constitutional Research Council’ – which donated to DUP – is likely also to have broken the law. This excellent BBC investigation bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northe… suggests the CRC controlled the DUP’s spending. If so, it will have huge and unlawful referendum spending /3
The High Court’s analysis of the Electoral Commission is pitiless. It calls it “unconstructive,” says it lacked “any rational basis,” was “arbitrary” and its approach to the law is a “recipe for abuse of the spending restrictions.” Heads must roll. /4
What’s now clear is that the referendum was won on points by a crooked fighter with the help of a hapless umpire. This is the stuff of tin pot potentates. Our democracy will be an international laughing stock if we continue to pretend there is a proper mandate to leave the EU. /5
The EC and VL stood together and argued we were wrong. But the @GoodLawProject prevailed. We are hugely grateful to our legal team of @JMPSimor @TJCleaver @dpg_law and those who backed the case. Please support our work here. goodlawproject.org/membership/ ENDS
