Oona King is accused of using leaked lists as mayoral fight turns nasty

Labour rivals: Ken Livingstone and Oona King
12 April 2012

Oona King was today accused of using "nefarious" tactics in the race to become Labour candidate for Mayor.

Rivals claimed that the former MP used leaked official lists to contact Labour members.

They said she sent campaign material to members who had not signed up to her campaign even though the party has not released their details to candidates.

Ms King has contacted members by post and broken down potential supporters regionally and by gender, suggesting she could have more information at her disposal than her main rival Ken Livingstone.

The row threatens to overshadow what has so far been a relatively good natured contest between the two politicians battling to become Labour's candidate to take on Boris Johnson for City Hall.

An insider on Mr Livingstone's campaign said: "It would be completely impossible for them to have got hold of some of the email addresses without having access to a database.

"We're not suggesting this came from officials, but that they've got it in some nefarious fashion. There were suggestions that the information could have come from somebody who had previously held the lists, which would include all the candidates for the Labour deputy leadership race in 2007.

A spokesman for Mr Livingstone said: "Dozens of London Labour party members have contacted our campaign expressing concern that Oona King's team appears to have access to full membership data for the London Labour party. Both candidates should have fair and equal access to members. The party should clarify the matter."

However, Ms King's aides emphatically denied she had received a leaked membership list.

They insisted that her contact details were compiled from supporters, unions, campaign groups and informal networks of members.

A spokeswoman said: "We have got all our campaign details completely legitimately from a range of different places in the same way that any campaign gets personal contact details."

Several supporters of Ms King have also complained to Labour headquarters that they have been contacted by the Livingstone camp, even though they have not signed up to his campaign. They suggested the former Mayor had broken rules by failing to inform members that if they responded to text polling messages they would have to pay.

The Labour party provides both candidates with identical information. They are entitled to five emails to party members which are sent out by Labour headquarters.

A London Labour party insider said: "We have had queries about both camps and that's not unusual. We get that with any mailing we send out."

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