On 19th May 2026, four former members of Croydon Labour Party appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, facing charges relating to cybercrime and data breaches alleged to have occurred during the Labour Party’s parliamentary selection for the Croydon East seat in 2023.
Joel and Shila Bodmer, former councillor Carole Bonner and Gabriel Levy appeared only to confirm their names, dates of birth and addresses. The chief magistrate, Judge Paul Goldspring, told the defendants to appear at Southwark Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing in June.
They have been charged with conspiracy to commit an offence under Section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977 and Section 3 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Joel Bodmer has also been charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to allegedly altering phone records.
The Croydon East selection was annulled by Keir Starmer’s Labour Party in November 2023, as reported in local independent news website Inside Croydon.
Meanwhile in North West England, four men and a woman aged between 23 and 47 were arrested on 20th May on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, according to Greater Manchester Police, in connection with local council elections held on 7th May 2026.
A local newspaper alleged that members of Tameside Labour Party planted Muhammad Ali and Marie Fairhurst as fake independent candidates in the elections for St. Peter’s Ward. In the end the Labour candidate Attar Ul-Rasool was narrowly elected. A local woman by the name of Marie Fairhurst said that she had no idea she was on the ballot in which the fake candidates picked up 291 of the total 3,682 votes cast.
Greater Manchester Police commented,
“In the days leading up to and following the election on 7th May, we received reports surrounding concerns about candidates within the St Peter’s ward. Following initial enquiries last week, we have launched a full investigation into the allegations… The work is specifically investigating the process of how candidates were put forward and represented in the ward, and if this adhered to the relevant legislation and electoral procedures.”
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