RESIDENTS across Cowal were left confused last week after receiving election campaign leaflets promoting a Conservative candidate for the region — who has already defected to Reform UK.
Councillor Amanda Hampsey confirmed her move from the Tories to Nigel Farage’s party more than a fortnight ago, but election leaflets from the Conservative Party featuring Councillor Hampsey as their candidate for Argyll and Bute were still being delivered to households across Cowal, even though she was confirmed as Reform UK’s candidate for the region last week.
However, Councillor Hampsey has denied any involvement with the leaflets and told this newspaper she did not authorise them.
She said: “Protocol has always been that leaflets must be signed off by the named individual before being sent to print. I neither signed off on the leaflet, nor was made aware that they had been printed.”
Local constituents contacted this newspaper this week to raise their concerns about the confusion the campaign material is causing.
One angry constituent who received one of the now redundant leaflets explained: “I’m pretty annoyed about it. I guess you can look at it two ways. Being charitable, was it a genuine mistake? Did the Conservatives not have enough time after she switched to cancel the mail drop?
“I’m a bit more cynical. To me, I think it’s blatant deception. Councillor Hampsey changes sides, probably tells Reform the leaflet drop is scheduled, and they say, ‘Well, people will vote for you, so if it’s got Amanda Hampsey on it, it helps us.’ Is it even legal to do this?”
This latest gaffe comes as Councillor Hampsey is under scrutiny for continuing to work for a Conservative MSP despite now standing against him in the race for Holyrood.
It’s understood that following her defection to Reform UK, she remains employed as a part-time caseworker for Buckie-based Conservative MSP Tim Eagle.
Which means the Argyll and Bute councillor is effectively being paid with public funds while campaigning as his political rival.
This newspaper reached out to the local Conservative and Unionist Party in Argyll and Bute for a statement, but at the time of going to print, we were still waiting on a reply.
