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171:, an MP with 25 years' service, lost his seat after he was discovered to have given coal to the poor and sweets to children to commemorate his length of service, which counted as treating. In 2014, the police received four reports of the alleged offence. In the 2010s, there have been some modern examples of the offence. In April 2015, the
156:. It stated if election candidates or their agents offered any food, drink, entertainment or any payment in order to make any attempt to prevent voting or to sway voters to vote for them, then they have committed the offence of treating. The recipient is also guilty of the offence if they accept it. The
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and would not prosecute in situations such as if it could not have affected the election process, if it was a genuine mistake or did not go against the spirit of the
Representation of the People Act.
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criminal offence in the United
Kingdom. Treating occurs when an election candidate or their agents offer material incentives for people to vote for them or to abstain from voting. It is a
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George Bingam's "The County
Election" (1852) shows the effects of the campaigns' "treating" the voters with alcoholic beverages: several of them are too drunk to stand without assistance.
128:, but argued that poor electors should be entitled to receive refreshments from candidates if they took a day off work to vote. An early example of treating which led to an
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was found guilty of treating for buying food and drink for voters in exchange for their vote.
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leading to Rahman being removed from office. An accusation of treating was seen in the
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with the sentence being up to either an unlimited fine, one year imprisonment or both.
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which resulted in an election court declaring the result of the election
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of a number of electoral fraud offences, including treating, during the
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456:"Ukip candidate in clear over alleged voter wooing with sausage rolls"
403:"Tower Hamlets election fraud mayor Lutfur Rahman removed from office"
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Historically, the issue of treating at elections was dealt with under
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429:"Election 2015: UKIP candidate 'to be questioned' over sausage rolls"
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The current offence of treating was created under section 114 of the
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said they would take no action over the allegation. The UKIP leader
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37:
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482:"Nigel Farage backs Ukip candidate in sausage roll bribery row"
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debated putting treating on a statutory footing similar to
377:"Reality Check: Is giving voters sausage rolls illegal?"
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stated they would only prosecute treating if it was
136:which nullified an election result was in 1868 in
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354:. Crown Prosecution Service. 11 September 2006
31:It has been suggested that this article be
257:Pickering, 1849, p 12. Clerk, 1852, p 119.
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330:"Representation of the People Act 1983"
214:criticised the allegation of treating.
112:. An early statute on treating was the
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512:Electoral fraud in the United Kingdom
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154:Representation of the People Act 1983
120:. c. 4) (1695 or 1696). In 1840, the
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454:Press Association (14 April 2015).
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188:2014 Tower Hamlets mayoral election
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61:An example of treating shown in
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303:. 20 April 1869. p. 3
234:"Electoral Law Regulation"
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98:triable either way offence
313:British Newspaper Archive
158:Crown Prosecution Service
48:Proposed since June 2024.
268:"Bribery and Treating. (
208:Hampshire Constabulary
173:Mayor of Tower Hamlets
162:in the public interest
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72:Humours of an Election
301:Bury and Norwich Post
200:UK Independence Party
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332:. Legislation.gov.uk
142:Christopher Weguelin
67:Canvassing for Votes
352:"Election Offences"
180:Tower Hamlets First
204:Southampton Itchen
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140:where the winner
130:election petition
118:7 & 8 Will. 3
114:Treating Act 1695
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311:– via
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241:. Retrieved
212:Nigel Farage
184:found guilty
169:Seymour King
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69:(1755) (see
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218:References
198:where the
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167:In 1911,
506:Category
491:18 April
465:18 April
439:18 April
433:BBC News
413:18 April
407:BBC News
387:18 April
381:BBC News
358:18 April
336:18 April
307:18 April
281:18 April
243:18 April
89:Treating
38:Treating
276:Hansard
270:Hansard
138:Youghal
132:to the
126:bribery
104:History
43:Discuss
182:) was
92:is an
33:merged
237:(PDF)
35:with
493:2019
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