New funding bid to oust Carmichael

A NEW bid to raise funds to have northern isles MP Alistair Carmichael’s election in May annulled has been launched.

The campaign group The People Versus Carmichael launched their second crowdfunding bid less than three weeks before the legal case is due to be heard in Edinburgh’s Court of Session.

The campaigners say they need to raise more money to protect the four Orkney-based petitioners financially in case legal costs go through the roof.

The four petitioners – Timothy Morrison, Euphemie Matheson, Fiona Grahame and Carolyn Welling – claim that Carmichael breached the Representation of the People Act 1983 by lying about his involvement in leaking a private government email about Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

In June a crowdfunding appeal raised more than its £60,000 target to help bring the case to court in the first place.

Now the campaigners say more money needs to be raised to cover the possibility of an appeal being lodged after the initial hearing.

Any money raised that is not spent will be donated to foodbank charities, the campaigners say. 

Carmichael has lodged a defence saying that he has broken no law.