A Labour council group has been reported to the police by the Tories over allegedly "misleading" campaign literature, Conservative MP Ben Everitt told GB News.
The MP for Milton Keynes claimed the campaign literature, which relates to the failure to open a new GP surgery, "breaches election law".
The complaint comes just one day before voters go to the polls in the local elections. The Tories are gearing up for a bruising result, with the party trailing more than 20 points behind Labour.
The original leaflet, which Everitt said came from the Labour Party, said that a bid by a local GP surgery in Olney for cash to submit a planning application to expand their surgery was "refused by local NHS bosses because they have not been given the funding by the Conservative government to build the new facilities".
But the Tories claimed that it was Milton Keynes Council – of which Labour is the largest party - that stopped the development. Writing to Thames Valley Police, Everitt said: "I am writing to you to raise significant concerns regarding the conduct of the Milton Keynes Council Labour Party Group in this week’s local elections campaign.
"The Labour Group has been actively telling residents and the media that the proposals for the GP surgery in Olney were refused because the Conservative government failed to release the necessary funds.
"However recent revelations have revealed this to be a demonstrably false claim.
"Emails have now come to light that demonstrate that it was Milton Keynes Council that stopped the development, by advising against applying for planning permission."
He added: "The decision not to progress the new surgery was made at a meeting of the region’s Primary Care Delivery Group, which is part of the Integrated Care Board. Milton Keynes Council had delivered advice to that meeting which was to not proceed with the surgery, leading to such an outcome at ICB level.
"Milton Keynes Council received a letter from the ICB confirming the decision not to apply for planning permission, based on their advice, on April 11. They then choose, out of political motivation, to not release that letter until today, the day before polling day for the 2024 Local Elections."
But a Labour spokesperson rejected the allegations, accusing the Milton Keynes Conservatives of having "clearly misunderstood" the situation.
They said: "They are being rightly accused of, and held to account for, consistently failing to deliver the necessary funding for new infrastructure in Milton Keynes.
"Rather than wasting valuable police time and resources, the Conservatives should apologise to the people of Milton Keynes for letting them down for the last two decades."
Everitt told GB News: "It's just so frustrating that yet again the Labour Party in Milton Keynes is putting politics before people.
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"There's only so much I can do in Westminster if the blockage is local Labour politicians playing political games with people's services.
"I wish they'd just let me do my job for the people of Milton Keynes.
This is about getting people the services they deserve."
Thames Valley Police have been contacted for comment.
from GB News https://ift.tt/0K8Hjny
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