EU Referendum Update - Leaflets And Lead Campaigners

Friday 15 April will mark the beginning of the referendum period during which campaigners will be restricted in their spending on campaigning activities.

The onset of the referendum period marks the conclusion of a busy week during which the Electoral Commission designated In Campaign Ltd (Britain Stronger in Europe) and - more controversially - Vote Leave as the lead campaigners for the 'remain' and 'leave' camps respectively. The week also saw the much debated distribution to every household in England of the government's £9 million leaflet setting out why it thinks the UK should remain in the EU.

In this update we focus on the appointment by the Commission of lead campaigners for each side of the debate, some of the controversy around recent publications by each side and pre-referendum purdah for public bodies. We also provide links to the latest guidance provided by the Commission.

Designated Lead Campaigners

Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 ('PPERA'), and the European Union Referendum Act 2015 ('the 2015 Act'), the Commission may designate lead campaign groups for both sides of the debate (or one side only in the event that no application is received from anyone in the opposite camp).

The benefits

Designation brings substantial benefits -

an increased spending limit of £7 million, one free distribution of information to voters, referendum campaign broadcasts, and a grant of up to £600,000 from the Commission which can be used for costs including the administration associated with setting up and running a referendum campaign, TV broadcasts and the free mailing to voters that they are entitled to as lead campaigners. The lead campaigners will also have a dedicated page in the Commission's public information booklet which will be distributed to all households in the UK (in both English and Welsh) in advance of the referendum. The booklet will include a link to a page on each lead campaigner's website which will outline its opinion on what will happen in the event of either referendum result.

The contenders

The Commission received four applications for designation as a lead campaigner. The sole applicant in respect of the 'remain' camp was the cross-party In Campaign Ltd (Britain Stronger in Europe). Designation in respect of the 'leave' camp was a more contested issue with applications from -

the GO Movement Ltd (the umbrella group comprising Leave.EU and the Grassroots Out group, backed by UKIP leader Nigel Farage), the anti-austerity Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), and Vote Leave Ltd (the group supported by the majority of pro-Brexit Conservative MPs, including Boris Johnson and Cabinet-level ministers Michael Gove, John Whittingdale, Theresa Villiers, Priti Patel and Chris Grayling, along with the majority of pro-Brexit MPs - 121 to the GO Movement's 14). Although the GO Movement and Vote Leave were always set to vie for designation, the application from the TUSC came as a surprise to many. Fronted by former Labour MP Dave Nellist, and heavily funded by the Rail Union (RMT), it argues that neither...