Labour reported to police over Stoke by-election texts warning 'voting UKIP is anti-Islamic'

Labour candidate Gareth Snell: The party has denied any knowledge of the texts
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Kate Proctor17 February 2017
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Labour has been reported to the police for allegedly intimidating voters in Stoke with a series of texts telling people how to vote.

The anonymous messages said it would be anti-Islamic to vote for UKIP and asked if they would be able to “answer for” not electing Labour’s candidate Gareth Snell.

Labour deny they knew anything about the messages and said they do not condone the content.

However the Liberal Democrats have today reported the incident to Staffordshire Police who accused Labour of “stirring up community tensions.”

They are concerned the incident could breach court guidance on using “undue spiritual influence” put in place after the 2014 Tower Hamlets mayoral race.

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