Some members of Britain’s Conservative Party have been issued with more than one ballot paper to vote for the party’s next leader, who will also become prime minister, the BBC reported yesterday.
Ballot papers have been sent to about 160,000 Conservative Party members across the country, asking them to choose between frontrunner Boris Johnson, a former London mayor and foreign minister, and Jeremy Hunt, the current foreign minister.
Voting is due to close on July 22, with the winner set to be announced a day later.
The BBC said that an investigation it had carried out found some party members had received two ballot papers, citing one party insider as estimating that more than 1,000 people could be affected.
It said that in some cases this was because members live and work in different constituencies and may have joined the local Conservative associations in both areas.
Other members may have changed their name after marriage.
Party chairman Brandon Lewis said on Twitter that – as was the case in a general election – people would only be able to vote once even if they had been sent more than one ballot paper.
Hunt’s campaign chairman, the former cabinet minister Sir Patrick McLoughlin, warned party members should only vote once even if they had received two ballot papers.
“It’s made very clear on the ballot paper that you are only allowed to vote once. I expect Conservative members to follow that,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
McLoughlin acknowledged the error has “got to be looked at”, but added: “It can’t be clearer, it’s right there on the ballot paper saying that you must only vote on one occasion and I expect people to do that.”
Iain Duncan Smith, the former party leader and chairman of Johnson’s campaign, said the chairman of the Conservative party had been asked to look into the problem of multiple ballot papers being given to members.
“Obviously there is an issue here, I accept that,” Smith told the Today programme. “In all elections there are issues about this, where people are registered separately.”
Smith echoed McLoughlin’s call for Tory members to not vote more than once. “It’s quite clear as Patrick McLoughlin said that you are not to vote more than once.
“But it’s clear that the Conservative party needs to continue to do some work and look into how they can actually sift this properly so that they recognise who is who.”
The Electoral Commission, which sets standards for how UK elections are run, has no role in the leadership contest.
Theresa May will take her final session of prime minister’s questions on July 24 and hand over to the contest winner that afternoon.
Separately yesterday, the Times newspaper reported that Johnson is backed by 74% of Conservative Party members with Hunt on 26%, according to a YouGov/Times poll.
It said a fortnight ago the last YouGov survey gave almost identical figures.
Both candidates appeared at a campaign event in Nottingham, central England, yesterday.
Johnson was asked about a Sky News report that said 30 Conservative lawmakers led by finance minister Philip Hammond were plotting to stop a no-deal Brexit in October.
“I’m a great admirer of Phil ... but I sat in the cabinet with him when we were all committed to getting ready for no-deal,” he said. “To the best of my knowledge the chancellor (finance minister) and every other member of the cabinet is still committed to that policy.”
Johnson has pledged to leave the European Union with or without a deal on October 31 if he becomes prime minister, while Hunt has said he would, if absolutely necessary, go for a no-deal Brexit.
Last Monday a group of pro-EU lawmakers failed in their latest bid to prevent Britain leaving the bloc without an exit deal, after parliament’s speaker did not choose their proposal to be put to a vote.