More Labour Councillors delivering Hope not Hate & NORSCARF Leaflets with Labour By-Election Material

Following our story last week about how Labour are using Hope not Hate and NORSCARF to circumvent electoral spending limits, news reaches us from the Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election that confirm it is an official policy rather than just ignorance.

Cllr Ruth Rosenau showing how Labour are using HnH/NORSCARF

leaflets as part of their official campaign

Pictures on Twitter show Stoke-on-Trent Labour councillors Ruth Rosenau (Meir North) and Chris Robinson (Broadway & Longton East) delivering Hope not Hate/NORSCARF leaflets alongside official Labour Party leaflets last week. NORSCARF is run by Labour Cllr Chris Spence from neighbouring Newcastle Under Lyme. The leaflets are 'attack' leaflets spreading outright lies about by-election favourite Paul Nuttall and specifically designed to tie in with the official Labour leaflets, even being printed in Labour's red and yellow colour scheme.

It is difficult to believe this is being down without the knowledge of Councillor Gareth Snell, Labour's by-election candidate who works for outgoing MP Tristram Hunt and sits alongside Cllr Chris Spence on Newcastle Borough Council: Snell retweeted pictures of Spence delivering them.

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Cllr Rosenau seems to be getting through them at a fair rate of knots as well: she was tweeting earlier about how she was collecting some more Hope not Hate leaflets just a few hours ago.

Cllr Chris Robinson demonstrating how HnH leaflets

are an official way of evading legal spending limits

With all the Labour councillors within a 40 mile radius apparently hell-bent on delivering them alongside Labour's official leaflets, can Hope not Hate and NORSCARF claim any longer to be anything other than the pro-EU Labour front organisations that they really are? And will the cost of the leaflets appear as official Labour expenditure on their return given that they are clearly a part of an organised plan to smear UKIP?

Cllr Chris Robinson demonstrating how HnH leaflets

are an official way of evading legal spending limits

Meanwhile, the 'local' campaign for Gareth Snell continues to rely heavily on people from outside the area. Pictured are Liverpool councillors Patrick Hurley and Jim Noakes delivering leaflets claiming Gareth Snell is 'local and proud'. Clearly they haven't read Guido Fawkes' article on how Snell comes from just down the road - 200 miles down the road, that is - in Stowmarket, Suffolk. Which is conveniently located just on the other side of the country from Stoke on Trent.