Treasury leaflets used in campaign

The Conservatives demanded an explanation last night of how official Government leaflets came to be used as part of Labour's local election campaign.

Andrew Lansley, a Cabinet Office spokesman, wrote to the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Richard Wilson, to complain that the Treasury's budget leaflets were being delivered in North London by Labour Party activists canvassing for support.

The leaflets, entitled Prudent for a Purpose: Working for a Stronger and Fairer Britain, were posted through doors and handed out to voters, Mr Lansley said.

In his letter to Sir Richard, he called for an immediate investigation into the distribution of the leaflet and how many had been supplied to the Brent North Labour Party. He also wrote to Stephen Timms, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and Barry Gardiner, the MP for Brent North.

But a Treasury source dismissed the complaint, saying the leaflets were widely available and could have been obtained from a variety of sources. Anyone who wanted to use them was free to do so, he said.