Jenkyns is standing for election in Lincolnshire, despite currently living outside the county
Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Reform UK’s Lincolnshire mayoral candidate, has been challenged over her right to stand in the local election.
A complaint has been submitted to the North Kesteven district council over whether Jenkyns is entitled to be on the electoral roll in the county.
Inclusion on the electoral roll is based on either residing in the area where you register to vote and can include having a second home.
Jenkyns was added to the North Kesteven electoral roll at an address in Bassingham, near Lincoln, earlier this month.
A formal hearing will take place tomorrow (Friday 25 April), just six days before the election.
A Reform UK spokesperson said: “We understand a vexatious and politically motivated complaint has been made by the relative of a candidate in the same election that Andrea Jenkyns is contesting in an attempt to deprive the people of Lincolnshire the chance to vote for a Reform UK candidate.
“We are confident that this complaint will be dismissed.”
Jenkyns moved from Humberside to Lincolnshire when she was seven and later studied at Grimsby College and the University of Lincoln.
She was a member of Lincolnshire County Council before she became the Conservative MP for Morley and Outwood, in West Yorkshire, in 2015.
She defected to Reform in 2024.
In an interview with Lincolnshire Live, Jenkyns said she is living in Yorkshire with her son, but has a place to rent in Lincolnshire, and will move back to the county full-time if she wins.
Left Foot Forward understands that the outcome of the challenge won’t affect the election itself, as it is governed by a separate legal process.
However, it could be used as grounds for contesting the result at a later date through an application to the Election Petitions Office.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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