Police investigate new Southampton MP’s election behaviour

Royston Smith denies allegations that he handed the names and addresses of people believed to be Labour voters who could switch to UKIP, but has admitted giving him some publicly-accessible information on the breakdown of votes for parties in different areas of the constituency.

He has also denied creating a leaflet for UKIP candidate Kim Rose to use, which Mr Rose says he rejected as it "would have incited racial tension", but the Conservative Party has not denied that someone linked to his campaign was involved.

And he says the use of a picture of Oliver Twist character Fagin on the leaflet, which he says he was supposed to replace with a picture of himself, was a "joke in bad taste" considering his job as a jeweller and his Jewish ancestry.

Southampton's Returning Officer Mark Heath, who is responsible for overseeing electoral issues, confirmed he had received a complaint from a member of the public about the allegations.

He said it was now in the hands of the police and the Electoral Commission, who would look into the complaints and see if any breaches of electoral law had taken place.

Mr Smith, who stood unsuccessfully in Itchen in 2010, beat Labour rival Rowenna Davis in the 2015 election, transforming a 192 vote deficit to a 2,316 vote majority.

It is claimed that Mr Smith put together the "dossier" to help Mr Rose target up to 6,000 Labour voters in the constituency who were thinking about voting for UKIP.

It is alleged that the information, collected in tables showing residents' names and addresses and maps of areas such as Weston and Thornhill where roads are highlighted, was gathered when Conservative activists were canvassing.

The "dossier" also contains tables breaking down the number of votes each party received in council wards in recent elections, information which is accessible to all parties in an election campaign.

At the 2010 election UKIP candidate Alan Kebbell gained 1,928 votes, but in 2015 Mr Rose polled 6,010, saying on the night of the count that the party had done well in Weston and Woolston.

The documents, seen by the Daily Echo, also contain a leaflet that it is claimed was put together by Mr Smith for Mr Rose to use.

One side features lines criticising the previous Labour Government's immigration record, saying: "Under the last Labour Government immigration topped 7,000,000. One every minute for 13 years."

The other side has the UKIP logo and Mr Rose's name, before a line saying "Stop Open Door EU Immigration" and "UKIP will bring back control of our borders and ensure British jobs for British workers. We are on the side of the British working class".

It also contains a picture of Jewish Oliver Twist character Fagin, with a box of jewels and gold. It is believed the picture was intended to be replaced by one of Mr Rose before the leaflet was sent out.

The UKIP candidate said that the voter information and leaflet were physically given to him by Mr Smith "three or four weeks" before the election, saying: "It's the truth".

Referring to the voter information, he said: "Quite frankly I couldn't see anything wrong with it. I have known Royston for 30 years and I didn't think there was anything untoward.

"At the end of the day I don't want to do anything wrong and I just want fair play.

"I was targeting those areas anyway, because it wasn't rocket science where the votes were going to come from.

"I haven't got the statistics and machinery that Labour and the Tories have, but I have lived in the area and known every part of it inside out, you know where your support is going to be."

He said he rejected using the leaflet, saying: "I didn't agree with the leaflet to send off which I felt was racist and there was no way I was going to send it out.

"It said seven million immigrants came into the country under Labour party and was red, white and black.

"I thought the leaflet would incite racial tension."

Mr Rose, whose grandmother on his father's side was Jewish, criticised the use of the picture of Fagin on the leaflet, saying: "They probably felt it was a laugh but I didn't take it was joke cause it was attacking my personality and my culture.

"It was a joke in bad taste. You're meant to laugh with people, not at them."

But a Conservative Party spokesman denied both claims, saying: "Royston discussed campaign progress as he would have done with any other candidate who asked.

"There was no deal and the Conservative Party does not do deals with other parties."

He added that the party was looking into the facts of the matter, saying that Mr Smith denied knowing about the handover of the leaflet and the residents' addresses and names.

The spokesman did not deny that someone related to the campaign was involved, and added: "He was aware of the publicly available information about wards, he did give that to Mr Rose."

The information was passed to the returning officer by Itchen voter Richard Chorley, who said: "Each party should compete on the basis of their own resources and canvassing.

"I have done what I think a citizen should do in respect of a situation like this."

When asked to comment on the allegations defeated candidate Ms Davis, a Guardian journalist who was also a councillor in London, said: "If there is any allegation or evidence of illegal behaviour, then it must be fully investigated by the police."

A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: "All we can confirm at this time is that we have received a complaint and are in the process of reviewing the details."

Mr Heath said: "An individual has raised matters that concerned him with the Returning Officer’s staff, and was subsequently advised that he should bring his concerns to the attention of the Electoral Commission and the police. "The police are responsible for investigating any allegations of electoral fraud, not the Returning Officer. It is therefore the correct course of action that these concerns (regardless of their merits) should be referred to both those bodies."

A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said they "haven’t received a complaint on this matter to date".