Matt Goodwin will not face sanction over Gorton and Denton leaflet error
matt goodwin, Reform UK's candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection, will not be sanctioned after a High Court judge accepted that leaflets sent to voters omitted the party imprint because of an inadvertent printing error; the ruling came on Wednesday, on the eve of the byelection, and mattered because the omission would otherwise attract penalties under the Representation of the People Act 1983.
Judge accepts production error and uses section 167 relief
Mr Justice Butcher granted Goodwin and his election agent, Adam Rawlinson, relief from sanctions under section 167 after hearing that the omission arose from inadvertence. The judge said he was satisfied the omission "arose from inadvertence, or some other reasonable cause of a like nature, and did not arise for want of good faith, " and that the error occurred during production when the printer changed the font.
How the imprint was removed in production
The court heard that Reform admitted it had sent about 81, 000 leaflets to the constituency's voters that presented an open letter from a "concerned neighbour" but did not state they had been funded and distributed by the party. Draft proofs sent to the printers, Hardings Print Solutions, did include an imprint stating the material was distributed on behalf of Goodwin and Reform, and Rawlinson told the court the drafts were checked "in the usual way multiple times. " The printers changed to a larger font at the last minute, which the court was told truncated the statutory imprint off the bottom of the leaflet.
Matt Goodwin cleared of sanction but legal risks outlined
The Representation of the People Act 1983 requires election material to include the name and address of those the document promotes; failure to comply can result in a £5, 000 fine and a three-year disqualification from elective office. The breach was described in court as an "inadvertent illegal practice" and the judge accepted that the omission did not stem from a want of good faith. Lawyers heard arguments that the breach was limited in scope, technical in nature, and had no material impact on the election.
Leaflet specifics, responsibilities and other investigations
The imprint was missing from a leaflet containing an open letter by Patricia Clegg, 74, who had decided to switch her support from Labour to Reform. The leaflet was sent to all 81, 000 voters in the constituency, and one account described it as having been sent to about 81, 000 people before the issue was raised. Hardings Print Solutions and Hardings Print Solutions Limited were said to have publicly admitted full responsibility for the production error; a separate account noted the printing company "took the blame and said sorry. " The Crown Prosecution Service and the acting returning officer had been made aware of the issue, lawyers for the acting returning officer attended the hearing but made no representations, and the court was told that Goodwin and Rawlinson took steps to put the matter right.
Wider context: previous probes and digital imprint questions
A Manchester Mill story prompted a police investigation after the letters did not include an imprint making clear they were campaign material. The Lead noted that Merseyside Police investigated a Reform candidate from Wirral West in 2024 after leaflets lacked the required imprint. It also appears that matt goodwin has not included a digital imprint on his campaign videos online, though he does have one on his Facebook profile. The Lead Untangles newsletter is delivered by email every week and focuses on a different complex, divisive issue each edition; the newsletter is free for subscribers. The Lead said it had contacted Reform UK for comment on the incidents listed but received no comment by the time of publication.
On the eve of the contest, the High Court granted relief and the next confirmed event is the Gorton and Denton byelection on Thursday.
