Tories caught out delivering fraudulent leaflet

8.49.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 18th Apr 2008

Cheltenham Conservatives have been caught out delivering leaflets pretending to be from the Liberal Democrats.

The leaflet delivered by the Conservatives is entitled Focus, a title used by the Liberal Democrats in Cheltenham for over 35 years. It has no Conservative logos or branding on it at all. It has a quotation from the Conservative election candidate yet does not describe him as their candidate. The only indication it is from the Conservatives is an imprint in very small print at the foot of the leaflet.

Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Steve Jordan said:

"I know imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but this is ridiculous! What on earth are the Tories playing at with this fraudulent nonsense. I assume they must be really desperate to try and con the electorate like this."

"To make it worse, what they say in the leaflet is just plain wrong. Matthew Taylor's review is looking at how to provide affordable housing and sustainable communities on the edge of villages and small market towns. It is not proposing massive urban extensions to places like Cheltenham."

Matthew Taylor, MP for Truro, who has seen the leaflet, said:

"My review is limited to rural communities, looking at helping local people get affordable homes and boosting the local economy. It is not about urban extensions to larger communities like Cheltenham."