Labour’s Lucy Rigby has been accused of hypocrisy after criticising Karl McCartney for not agreeing to attend Lincoln SU’s husting on their terms – when it turns out she hadn’t signed the appropriate form herself.
General election hustings due to be held by the University of Lincoln Students’ Union next month were cancelled as not enough candidates returned a form the SU insists external speakers must sign.
A tweet written by Ms Rigby, the Labour parliamentary candidate for Lincoln, on 23 March claimed it “really is 100% irresponsible of our Tory MP Karl McCartney to refuse to attend”.
https://twitter.com/LucyRigby/status/580049210113978368
Yet it was revealed by the Liberal Democrat candidate for Lincoln, Ross Pepper, that he was told he was the only one to have signed and returned the policy document in question.
So Lucy is blaming Karl for Lincoln Uni SU debate cancellation but she has not returned the form either. Only I did! pic.twitter.com/1QVckc55ly
— Ross Pepper (@RossDPepper) March 26, 2015
However, Ms Rigby claims this was simply down to a misunderstanding and that she would be happy to sign the form.
She told The Linc: “I was sent the form ages ago and said I had no problem at all with signing it.
“I didn’t criticise Karl McCartney for not signing for the form per se – I have been criticising him for not turning up at hustings events, like the BBC, Echo and Lincolnite one and the University one too.”
A hustings held by Bishop Grosseteste’s Students’ Union is still planned for Monday 13 April, although UKIP candidate Nick Smith has declined an invite to attend.