Campaigners told to respect rivals as local election abuse rises

- Published

Political parties should require members to respect one another during elections, the Electoral Commission has said after finding rising levels of abuse.

More than half of candidates in the May 2026 English local and mayoral polls experienced a problem with harassment or intimidation, the highest level over the last four years, according to its survey of 25,000 who stood.

A report, external published on Monday said such issues were most likely to affect women, people from ethnic minority backgrounds and those with a disability.

The watchdog is calling on political parties to make clear in their own rules that members "must respect other campaigners", with potential disciplinary action if they do not.

The report also recommended requiring social media companies to improve protections for electoral candidates online, including rapidly removing abusive content and identifying perpetrators.

Inappropriate contact through social media was the most frequently experienced scenario of harassment or abuse for local candidates, the survey found, with disinformation through generative AI also flagged as an issue.

One candidate told the survey their daughter had "called me from school crying" because she had seen posts online branding them "racist, fascist and Nazi".

Another candidate reported being screamed at with death threats while leafleting on doorsteps, but could not run away because of their disability.

Reform UK and Labour candidates were more than twice as likely as Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to say they had experienced such issues in the May 2026 elections in England, with the Greens and independents between both groups.

Some 79% of female respondents reported avoiding the campaign trail on their own at least once, compared to just under half of male counterparts. One female candidate said they felt the need to bring their husband with them.

And a third of respondents overall considered not standing for election because of harassment, intimidation or concerns about future abuse.

Only 15% of those surveyed had reported such experiences to the police.

"These elections demonstrate the growing threats posed to democracy," the Electoral Commission's chief executive Vijay Rangarajan said.

He added: "Without improvements to candidate safety, there is a significant risk that people will be put off standing in future elections."