Christine Jardine Raises Concerns About Government Adherence to Pre-Election Guidelines

The Liberal Democrats have called for an investigation into what they allege is a breach of purdah rules by the Prime Minister following a policy announcement made in the lead-up to local elections. Christine Jardine MP expressed her “deep concern” that the recent announcement regarding mandatory maths education up to age 18 contravenes the Government’s own guidelines on the sensitive pre-election period.

Purdah rules are designed to restrict government communications and activities in the weeks preceding polling day, ensuring that government resources are not used for party political campaigning and that civil service impartiality is maintained. Jardine stated, “I am therefore very concerned that the purdah rules have been breached by the Government in regards to this announcement.”

In her letter to Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, Jardine urged for an immediate investigation into the Government’s “maths to 18” plan, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a speech at a north London college. The proposal aims for all pupils to study mathematics in some capacity until the age of 18.

“I am highly concerned that this announcement is breaching purdah rules,” she wrote, noting that the pre-election period began on April 13 in relation to local elections in England. She highlighted that the announcement was supported by government resources, including a Downing Street press release, and emphasized the relevance of education to local authorities and election campaigns.

Jardine questioned whether officials had raised concerns regarding the announcement and whether these concerns were ignored by Conservative ministers. Labour MP Angela Eagle also criticized the Government, tweeting, “This (Government) completely ignores all the purdah rules.”

While purdah rules apply to new policy announcements, the Liberal Democrats previously described the maths pledge as a “rehashed” plan. Critics, including Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, accused Sunak of “reannouncing” a vague and poorly thought-out policy initially proposed in January.

In response, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman asserted that the Government ensured all announcements complied with the rules, stating, “We are aware of the rules that guide local election purdah and abide by them.”