Banksy offers free art to people who vote against the Tories

Mysterious artist posted an announcement on his official website

Roisin O'Connor
Tuesday 06 June 2017 08:08 BST
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Critics say the artist risks contravening laws designed to ensure votes remain secret
Critics say the artist risks contravening laws designed to ensure votes remain secret

Banksy has offered fans an exclusive free print if they vote against the Conservatives in the general election.

The artist posted on his website asking voters in six Bristol-area constituencies to send him a photo of their ballot paper showing that they voted against the Tories to receive a limited-edition work.

He wrote: “Simply send in a photo of your ballot paper from polling day showing you voted against the Conservative candidate and this complimentary gift will be mailed to you.”

The artwork is taken from his iconic “girl with a balloon” motif but now features a Union Jack flag in the balloon. Banksy said that it will be released on 9 June.

Banksy's Brexit mural appears in Dover

However, critics have pointed out that this would contravene laws designed to ensure votes remain secret, and could also break rules against bribery.

In a “lawyer’s note” disclaimer, Banksy’s post added: “This print is a souvenir piece of campaign material, it is in no way meant to influence the choices of the electorate, has no monetary value, is for amusement purposes only and is strictly not for resale.

“Terms and conditions to follow, postage not included.”

Under Section 66 of the Representation of the People’s Act, it is a criminal offence to “induce a voter to display his ballot paper after he has marked it so as to make known to any person the name of the candidate for whom he has or has not voted”.

It is also illegal to show the paper’s unique identification number.

An Electoral Commission spokesman told the BBC: “Given the risk that someone taking a photo inside a polling station may be in breach of the law, whether intentionally or not, the commission’s advice is against taking any photos inside polling stations.”

Banksy recently confirmed that the mysterious Dover-based mural featuring a European flag being chiselled by a workman is his.

The piece – which appeared overnight on a building beside the A20, near Dover’s ferry terminal – features the artist’s signature stencil work.

It showed a monochrome worker removing one of the European flag’s 12 stars – a photo of the artwork was posted on his Instagram feed.

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