Two senior members of election fraud minister Chloe Smith’s local party have been arrested over claims of electoral fraud.

Police held two men on Thursday over claims submitted official documents with falsified signatures ahead of this month’s local elections in Norwich.

The men have been named locally as Daniel Elmer, 28 and Alex Jackson-Dennis, 21, the two vice chairs of Norwich Conservatives, the local party of Constitution Minister Chloe Smith.

Mr Elmer, 28, was released with no further action to be taken.

But Mr Jackson-Dennis, 21, remains under investigation.

A spokesperson for Norfolk Constabulary said: “Officers arrested two men yesterday morning (Thursday) on suspicion of conspiring to submit nomination papers containing fraudulent signatures.

“It relates to allegations that election papers with false signatures were submitted for the Mancroft Ward of Norwich in the lead up to the local election on Thursday 3 May 2018.

“A 21-year-old man from the Norwich area has been released under investigation whilst enquiries continue.

“A 28-year-old man from the Norwich area has since been released with no further action to be taken.”

(Image: PA)

Ms Smith is leading the Tory government’s crackdown on electoral fraud, which includes widely criticised trials of demanding voter ID at polling stations.

A Norwich Conservative Association spokesman said: “The individuals concerned have been suspended pending the outcome of a police investigation.”

Mr Jackson-Dennis is acted as election agent for all of the Tory candidates in this month’s elections to Norwich City Council, and stood as a candidate in the Thorpe Hamlet ward.

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The Conservative candidate for the Mancroft ward was Iain Gwynne, who came in third place.

There’s no suggestion either Mr Gwynne or Ms Smith were aware of the alleged fraud.