Independent pro-Leave candidate Andrew Morgan changed his name by deed poll after learning there would be no official Brexit Party candidate standing in Clacton, Essex. But the 52-year-old, who tried to lodge his nomination yesterday, was told he could not use his new name because it was “misleading”. The Returning Office of Tendring District Council ruled the change was to “intentionally mislead people”.
Mr Clacton-Brexit decided to change his name after Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage stated the party would not be standing in 317 Conservative-held seats.
The ex-soldier and father-of-two will now go to the polls under his former name.
He said: “I’m really disappointed and I don’t understand why it was refused. I find it discriminating.”
He continued: “If anything I’m trying to do the opposite and inform people of what I’m about, not mislead them.
“There’s so many other candidates with completely irrelevant names that have been allowed and even Terry Marsh managed to change his surname to an ‘X’ but somehow my new name is the one that’s misleading.
“They wouldn’t even discuss with me why it wasn’t allowed.
“I only have four weeks to get my manifesto out and I felt the best way for people to know what I’m about is for them to see it in my name on the ballot paper.
“We need to respect the referendum result and the democracy that our forefathers fought and died to preserve – we need to get Brexit done and move on.”
READ MORE:Farage refuses to vote in election after Brexit Party candidate stands down
Mr Clacton-Brexit received a letter from returning officer Ian Davidson saying: “This decision was taken in accordance with the electoral law having regard to detailed legal advice from a leading electoral QC.”
Former undefeated world champion lightweight boxer Terry Marsh legally changed his name to “None Of The Above X” when he stood as an independent candidate in Clacton in the 2010 and 2015 General Elections in a protest against there being no option to vote for “none of the above”.
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage stood down candidates in the 317 seats which the Conservatives won in the 2017 election but has since accused Boris Johnson’s party of using intimidation to ensure more pull out of the ballot.
Mr Johnson dismissed the claims as “nonsense” and flatly denied there had been any offers of peerages, saying that was “just not the way we operate”.
He said: “I am sure that there are conversations that take place between politicians of all parties. Certainly nobody has been offered a peerage, I can tell you that.
“The Conservative Party doesn’t do deals of this kind. It is just not the way we operate.
“We don’t do deals, I think that will be pretty obvious from what has happened. We have made no undertakings.”
The row came amid growing pressure on Mr Farage in the run-up to the close of nominations on Thursday, to stand down Brexit Party candidates in all but a few dozen constituencies to avoid splitting the pro-Leave vote.
