The Tories have received fresh criticism for mimicking local newspapers ahead of Thursday’s triple by-election.

The Conservative Party has been circulating a title called the Somerton and Frome Chronicle before a by-election in the Somerset constituency of the same name.

The Chronicle’s front page does not feature any mention of the party’s name, only revealing in small print at the bottom that it is circulated on behalf of Tory candidate Faye Purbrick.

Its front page features a profile of “local woman” Ms Purbrick but makes no mention of the fact that she is contesting the seat for the Conservatives.

It comes after a Tory spokesman defended the party’s use of the practice in April on the grounds that “any literature from the party has to clearly state that it is from the party”.

The Chronicle claims to serve “Bruton, Castle Cary, Frome, Langport, Martock, Milborne Port, Somerton, Wincanton and surrounding villages”.

The “special by-election edition” claims that “no-one we’ve talked to wants a by-election”, which was called after former MP David Warburton, who was suspended by the Conservatives in April 2022 when claims of sexual misconduct were made against him.

He was sitting as an Independent at the time of his resignation last month.

HTFP reader Chris Butler-Stroud, from Frome, received a copy of the Chronicle on Friday.

He said: “I don’t mind political debate or even reading parties flyers but this kind of tactic of looking like a newspaper should not be happening.”

Chris, a charity worker who does not come from a journalism background himself, added: “I have no party affiliation, but I believe communications should not undermine local press who may be covering the election.

“Local reporting is a rare commodity nowadays and I just feel we should protect it and not potentially undermine people’s confidence in its integrity.”

Polls have suggested the Conservatives are on course to lose Somerton and Frome to the Liberal Democrats, while the party is also facing by-elections in Selby and Ainsty and Uxbridge and South Ruislip tomorrow following the resignations of Nigel Adams and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson respectively.

HTFP shone a spotlight on the issue of local press mimicry ahead of the 2019 General Election – with the Electoral Commission subsequently calling for “real change” on misleading party political leaflets.

We further highlighted numerous examples of the tactic being revived by the Liberal Democrats in recent years, both before and after elections across the country.

In March this year, Hereford Times editor John Wilson had succeeded in getting local Tories on his patch to pledge to discontinue the practice after he criticised the North Herefordshire Conservative Association for publishing a pamphlet under the name ‘Herefordshire Champion’.

John’s criticism prompted a U-turn by the Association, which had initially defended the practice on the grounds that CCHQ had offered local branches predetermined templates for pamphlets ahead of May’s elections.

HTFP has approached the Conservative Party for a comment on its use of the tactic in Somerset.