Lib-Dem printed leaflets for opponents

Apr 29 2008 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail

A LIBERAL Democrat parliamentary candidate and councillor has printed election leaflets for his party’s opponents.

Peter May is the Lib-Dem parliamentary candidate for Swansea West.

On Thursday, he will be defending his council seat in the Uplands ward of Swansea.

Yet an organisation he runs next to his home in the city is printing election literature for independent candidates across Swansea, some of whom are up against Liberal Democrats.

Ian Ross, one of Mr May’s Labour opponents in Uplands and the secretary of Swansea West Constituency Labour Party, said: “This is absolutely extraordinary behaviour from Peter May and will be hugely embarrassing for the Liberal Democrats.

“I know for a fact that if a Labour candidate had behaved in this way towards his own colleagues in an important and competitive election, then that individual would be thrown out of the party.”

But Mr May rejected Mr Ross’s comments, saying: “The Finsbury Print Society is independent of the Liberal Democrats. The local party is aware of the severance between the print society and the party. We print for anyone who asks.

“If the Labour Party want to give us a quote, we would be happy to supply them – because their leaflets at the moment are dreadful.”