{"id":158540,"date":"2021-05-11T06:26:57","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T06:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/?p=1427670"},"modified":"2021-05-11T06:26:57","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T06:26:57","slug":"tory-pcc-candidate-who-withdrew-over-conviction-treated-voters-with-total-contempt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/05\/11\/tory-pcc-candidate-who-withdrew-over-conviction-treated-voters-with-total-contempt\/","title":{"rendered":"Tory PCC candidate who withdrew over conviction treated voters with \u2018total contempt\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The election for Wiltshire and Swindon police and crime commissioner may need to be re-run after the race was won by a candidate who withdrew over a historic driving conviction.<\/p>\n<p>Conservative Party candidate Jonathon Seed received 40% of the vote in the first round and was elected after it went to a second ballot, but will not be able to take up the post. As\u00a0<em>The Canary<\/em> previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/opinion\/2021\/05\/10\/jonathon-seed-has-been-disbarred-from-the-pcc-election-now-its-time-to-expel-him-from-the-tory-party\/\">reported<\/a>, Seed has also been criticised due to his links with pro-hunting organisations.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement released after the result was declared, the election\u2019s returning officer Terence Herbert said he would be considering the next steps after taking appropriate legal advice.<\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START PA Quote --><\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"pa-embed\" data-type=\"quote\" data-quote=\"If the post of the PCC is vacant, if someone is disqualified or does not sign the declaration, then the post will be defined as vacant and an election will be called\" data-source=\"Terence Herbert\"><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/content-embed.pressassociation.com\/embeds.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cGiven this unprecedented situation and given the circumstances, I will be seeking legal advice on the next steps and at that point I will be able to make any statements necessary about the position.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the post of the PCC is vacant, if someone is disqualified or does not sign the declaration, then the post will be defined as vacant and an election will be called.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Conservative Party spokesperson said Seed, who had been hoping to take over from departing Conservative colleague Angus Macpherson, had been \u201cdisbarred\u201d after a driving offence had \u201ccome to light\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement issued on Sunday, Seed \u2013 who won a combined total of 47% of the vote \u2013 insisted he had declared his conviction to the party in his application for the role.<\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START Image --><\/p>\n<figure id=\"embedded243191170\"><img src=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/0a3d75b50f91574973f98059f7022373Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIwNzgyMjA1\/2.43191170.jpg?w=640\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/0a3d75b50f91574973f98059f7022373Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIwNzgyMjA1\/2.43191170.jpg?w=320 320w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/0a3d75b50f91574973f98059f7022373Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIwNzgyMjA1\/2.43191170.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/0a3d75b50f91574973f98059f7022373Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIwNzgyMjA1\/2.43191170.jpg?w=1280 1280w\" alt=\"European Parliament election\" data-title=\"European Parliament election\" data-copyright-holder=\"PA Archive\" data-copyright-notice=\"PA Archive\/PA Images\" data-credit=\"Brian Lawless\" data-usage-terms=\"\" \/><figcaption>Electoral Commission guidance says PCC candidates cannot stand for election if they have been convicted of an offence punishable with a prison sentence (Brian Lawless\/PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- EMBED END Image --><\/p>\n<p>Seed \u2013 who won a total of 100,003 votes \u2013 added he would be \u201cbitterly disappointed\u201d not to take up the post if he won the election.<\/p>\n<p>Electoral Commission guidance says PCC candidates cannot stand for election if they have been convicted of an offence punishable with a prison sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Liberal Democrat candidate Liz Webster, who came second after securing 17% of the vote in the first round and a combined total of 27%, said: \u201cThe question that needs to be asked is when the Conservative Party knew (Mr Seed) was ineligible to stand and, if that was before Thursday (polling day), why they didn\u2019t say anything, because voters could have made an informed decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s going to cost the taxpayer \u00a31.4 million to re-run the election, and there will obviously have to be a further police inquiry and, depending on the outcome, it may be a case for the Crown Prosecution Service.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START Image --><\/p>\n<figure id=\"embedded259643512\"><img src=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/de84c94871be4abf8742fc70cdb445e1Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIwNzgyMzk0\/2.59643512.jpg?w=640\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/de84c94871be4abf8742fc70cdb445e1Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIwNzgyMzk0\/2.59643512.jpg?w=320 320w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/de84c94871be4abf8742fc70cdb445e1Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIwNzgyMzk0\/2.59643512.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/de84c94871be4abf8742fc70cdb445e1Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjIwNzgyMzk0\/2.59643512.jpg?w=1280 1280w\" alt=\"Scottish Parliamentary Elections 2021\" data-title=\"Scottish Parliamentary Elections 2021\" data-copyright-holder=\"PA Wire\" data-copyright-notice=\"PA Wire\/PA Images\" data-credit=\"Andrew Milligan\" data-usage-terms=\"\" \/><figcaption>The election\u2019s returning officer has sought legal advice to determine next steps (Andrew Milligan\/PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- EMBED END Image --><\/p>\n<p>Webster, who won a total of 58,074 votes, added: \u201cJonathon Seed has treated Wiltshire and Swindon residents with total contempt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRe-running this election will require residents to vote again and deny our tired elections staff their well-deserved break. All of that is an absolute disgrace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) said: \u201cWhile this situation is unprecedented, there is legislation in place for this eventuality and due process will be followed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAngus Macpherson remains as police and crime commissioner until Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe OPCC will be working closely with Wiltshire Council, Swindon Borough Council and the Police and Crime Panel, once confirmed, to ensure any following legal process is handled as effectively and efficiently as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Seed \u2013 who faced competition from five other candidates for the PCC post which involves holding Wiltshire Police to account, overseeing a budget and setting its priorities \u2013 was also re-elected as a councillor to Wiltshire Council for the Melksham Without West &amp; Rural ward on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p><!-- TRACKING START GA --><script>(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','\/\/www.google-analytics.com\/analytics.js','ga');  ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'}); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By PA Reporter'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '2fc3d27e-d4de-41b9-8ab4-2226eb04784e'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:news,paservice:news:uk'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', null); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'anonymizeIp', true); ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'PCC vote could be held again after candidate who withdrew over conviction wins'});<\/script><!-- TRACKING END GA --><\/p>\n<p>By <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/author\/thecanary\/\">The Canary<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/uk\/2021\/05\/11\/tory-pcc-candidate-who-withdrew-over-conviction-treated-voters-with-total-contempt\/\">The Canary<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Conservative Party candidate Jonathon Seed withdrew after a historic driving conviction came to light.<\/p>\n<p>By <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/author\/thecanary\/\">The Canary<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1541,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5625,1841,23530,23531,13,1395],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1541"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158540"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":158541,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158540\/revisions\/158541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}