Thread by @theousherwood

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland tells @LBC there's been a "sinister" campaign to encourage tactical voting.

He says he's seen literature with no imprint about who it is from and who has published it.

Post-election, he says Tories could "look again" at campaign rules.

1/.

@LBC I asked him about whether he had seen evidence that what happened yesterday at Leeds General Infirmary was orchestrated.

His reply: “I've seen some items on social media. I think it'd be idle of me to start speculating as to whether that is enough evidence for a case."

2/.

@LBC In other words no.

But Mr Buckland added: "I will tell you this, there's certainly has been in this election a rather nasty undercurrent by the hard-left orchestrated…”

Me: “Have you or your staff experienced this?”

Buckland: “Mercifully not. Luckily not in Swindon."

3/.

@LBC Mr Buckland added: "But I say this: there's an orchestrated campaign going on in some seats, so-called tactical voting and very negative, unattributed literature going out about Conservative candidates."

4/.

@LBC He added about the leaflets: "No imprint on them. No way of working out who is publishing it. This is frankly a little bit sinister."

5/.

@LBC Buckland: "My advice to everybody is play within the bounds of the law. Be respectful. Do not use this general election as an excuse to create some sort of agitation in a very negative way. Let’s be positive about our campaigns."

6/.

@LBC Buckland: “I've seen evidence of leaflets, listing things about Conservative candidates that might be construed as negative.

"Clearly, negative campaigning against Conservatives as part of a tactical-voting operation."

7/.

@LBC He added: “I think some of it very much hits the border. If you haven’t got an imprint - who it is printed and published by – you can’t be responsible.

"There is no accountability of what is said."

8/.

@LBC Buckland concluded: "Everything that goes out in my name, or the name of any other mainstream political party candidate – has to have an imprint on it.

“Why? Because we need to be held accountable for anything that we say in it that might not be accurate."

9/.

@LBC Buckland: "That’s what I am talking about, is this sort of unattributed, sort of cloak and dagger, third party stuff that none of us can regulate. I do think that after this election we do need to consider again how the rules are policed.”

10/. and ends.