Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
The Green Party of England and Wales has recently returned a donation made by its leader, Zack Polanski, after it was deemed impermissible under UK electoral law. According to these regulations, political parties are only allowed to accept funds from individuals who appear on the UK electoral register. When a party receives a donation that does not comply with these rules, it must return the money within 30 days.
Polanski contributed £1,539.45 to the party in September of the previous year, soon after he became leader. However, this donation was only returned on June 10 this year, several months past the required timeframe. Deputy leader Rachel Millward explained to the BBC that Polanski was not on the electoral register for “security reasons.” She further stated that he is “in conversation with the police to work out a way of registering anonymously so that he can be protected.”
A spokesperson for the Green Party clarified that the payment was made to the London Green Party, and once the national party became aware of the issue, they promptly returned the donation. They also pointed out that it is a usual practice for Green candidates who are elected to the London Assembly to contribute part of their salary back to the party.
The Electoral Commission issued a statement reaffirming the requirement that impermissible donations must be reported and refunded within 30 days. They indicated that if a party discovers a problematic donation after this period, it should act swiftly to comply with the law. The donation should be returned either to the donor or, if that is not feasible, to the commission. Although the commission is currently considering the matter, they confirmed that it is not yet being treated as a formal investigation. Meanwhile, the party has also disclosed that Polanski did not vote in the recent London local elections due to heightened safety concerns, including incidents of antisemitic and homophobic abuse directed at him, which even resulted in two arrests. The complexities around anonymous voter registration contributed to his inability to register
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.