Cabinet Office agrees to reimburse spending on contingency preparations for European elections

The Cabinet Office is to reimburse reasonable spending by returning officers on contingency preparations for European Parliament elections.

These would normally have been held on 23 May but have been thrown into doubt by the confused situation in Parliament on Brexit, leaving it unclear whether or not the UK should participate.

In a letter to the Electoral Commission, the Cabinet Office stated: “Returning officers will be reimbursed in the usual way for any expenditure on activity that is necessarily undertaken, at this stage and in the coming weeks, to prepare for the possibility of European Parliamentary elections.”

It reminded returning officers they should “be particularly mindful of the need to use public money appropriately… for example, thought should be given to what actions are strictly necessary ahead of the start of an election timetable and what can be undertaken on a contingency basis given that circumstances may continue to change”.

Claims for reimbursement will be made through the Elections Claims Unit in the usual way.

Mark Smulian