Conspiracy pushers target races for local election posts under ‘Operation Green Wave’, report reveals
Tory candidate for Bexley South, Paul Brannigan, has a colourful history of conspiracy theories and claims of having been the victim of identity theft.
He was the subject of an online fundraising appeal after he was forced to publicly state he had been the victim of identity theft after a campaign bus had been set alight last year, leaving him in hospital.
Now, an investigation has discovered that the Tories have launched a secret operation dedicated to taking control of our local council seats under the banner of Operation Green Wave.
The investigation began when police received information from a whistleblower working for the Electoral Commission in November that “a number of local authorities across the country may be involved in illegal activity with Conservative Party funding”.
The Electoral Commission has confirmed that the information came from a member of its network and was passed on by him after he noticed concerns raised by two local councils were not in line with guidelines.
The information was passed on to police in November when officers were trying to help identify which local councils had received illegal donations from the Conservative Party.
The investigation was then handed over to the IPCC, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, after reports by the Electoral Commission and The Register revealed that the allegations against various councillors were more extensive and serious than first thought and that “there were serious concerns that the Conservative Party may have broken the law”.
Police would not divulge the specific allegations to the public, but did confirm the investigation was in progress.
The operation has also been backed by Conservative councillor Paul Brannigan, who is campaigning to be the next MP for Bexley, and his running mate Lisa Pelly, who is standing for West Bromwich North.
They have also been supported by Conservative councillor Tim Brown, who is standing for Eastwood. Tory councillor Tim Pleydell is also standing for Eastwood.
The Conservative group on the council has also put its support behind the operation, saying they do “receive funding from the Conservative Party and we are committed to ensuring that this is transparent and accountable”.
Meanwhile, Labour councillor for Bexley South, Darren Johnson, has distanced himself from