Nigel Farage has said he is “not concerned” after police announced they were looking into a complaint about his party’s prize draw.
According to a competition launched by Reform UK, one lucky winner and their entire street had their energy bill covered by the party.
On Thursday, Farage shared a video of himself and his Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick turning up at the home of ‘June from Wigan’, presenting her with a bouquet of flowers and a giant check for £1,758.
Voters could enter the draw by completing a questionnaire about their voting habits, including which party they had voted for in the last election and who they intended to support now.
However, campaign groups have raised concerns that the giveaway could breach Electoral Commission guidelines as acts that ‘induce voter behaviour’ could amount to ‘dealing’ or ‘bribery’ which are considered a form of corruption.
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Unveiling the ‘Nigel Cut My Bills’ promotion, Mr Jenrick promised voters if they ‘give us your details’, Farage would turn up at their home and pay their energy bills for a year.
However, it turned out that June and her husband Ray Dibble were no strangers to Reform and Mr Farage.
The couple had appeared at a campaign event for the party’s predecessor Brexit Party in 2019 and were described as ‘committed members’ by the Reform branch in Wigan.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed on Saturday that it was now considering a complaint about the draw.
It is still unclear what offense is being investigated, but the case has not yet progressed to a full investigation.
Asked by reporters if the gift might have broken election rules, Farage insisted he was not concerned.
Reforma said the competition had been approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
But the Open Rights Group said the promotion risked turning democracy into a ‘data-gathering exercise’, adding that the party was not telling participants what their answers would be used for.
Its legal and policy officer, Mariano delli Santi, said: “The reforms are asking the public to hand over sensitive data about their voting habits, without being transparent about how it will be used.
“This is a clear breach of transparency obligations under UK data protection law. Nothing in their privacy policy suggests they are not acting illegally in many other ways.
“Apart from potentially breaching data protection law, offering financial incentives in exchange for people’s political views risks turning democratic participation into a data-gathering exercise.”
In a statement, the ICO said it had spoken to Reform about competition and ‘improving transparency’ in the way they handle personal information.
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