Watford’s Liberal Democrats has continued to deliver leaflets after the national party declared a suspension of campaigning following the death of Prince Philip.

Shortly after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh was announced, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey declared that the party would suspend the national election campaign “as a mark of respect”.

Both the Conservative and Labour party announced similar stances, announcing that campaigning will restart in full on Tuesday morning (April 13) before suspending again for the duke’s funeral on Saturday (April 17).

Specifically, Sir Ed stated: “As a mark of respect to the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen and the Royal Family, the Liberal Democrats are suspending the national election campaign today”.

However despite the announcement, Watford’s Liberal Democrats have been spotted leafleting over the weekend.

A national party spokesperson said that local teams were “well placed” to decide what the “most appropriate response” in their area would be.

Party chairman Peter Kloss says that all campaigning was stopped for Friday, including leaflet delivery, and admitted that some form of campaigning continued from Saturday.

He said: “There is no national cross-party agreement on a campaign suspension in England. Other than the suspension announced on Friday, neither Ed Davey nor the national Lib Dem party has made any other statement on this.”

He continued that the “most respectful and appropriate” position was to suspend public facing and direct campaigning such as canvassing, but to continue with indirect campaigning such as delivering leaflets.

He said: “This reflects our respect for Prince Philip, but also that it is little more than 3 weeks until important local elections, and the interest from Watford residents in those elections.

“We intend to maintain our position until Tuesday, when normal campaigning will resume. We will of course implement a campaigning suspension next Saturday on the day of Prince Philip’s funeral; the details of this are still to be finalised.

“Throughout the Covid lockdowns we have kept to national rules, whilst making sure that residents are kept informed in a Covid safe manner.”

The Liberal Democrats have also been spotted in various areas nationally, including a report from The Spectator in Peterborough, continuing campaigning.

In the past few months, the Liberal Democrats were also accused of flouting lockdown guidance by continuing leaflet distribution before restrictions were eased to allow such campaigning under lockdown.

Cllr Kloss has likewise claimed that the Conservatives were delivering leaflets in Park and Leggatts wards on Saturday, and a Labour leaflet was also received.

Examples of these claimed deliveries have been shown to the Watford Observer.

However he added: “We received copies of these leaflets over the weekend, although we cannot be certain when the delivery occurred – it could have been before Friday afternoon.”

The Watford Observer has also seen a batch of undelivered Labour leaflets for the area that the Lib Dems have alleged the Labour leaflet has been distributed.

The continued campaigning has caused an outrage from both Conservative and Labour members who claim they halted leaflets over the weekend.

Cllr Nigel Bell wrote to Watford Mayor Peter Taylor to “do the decent thing” and stop campaigning.

Conservative leader of Hertfordshire County Council, Cllr David Williams, wrote to the Liberal Democrats to say that he was “appalled” to see the Lib Dems campaigning and found it “deeply disrespectful”.

Chair of Watford Labour, Cllr Asif Khan, said: "The Watford Liberal Democrats have no shame but have plenty of form when it comes to campaigning when they should not.

"It is disrespectful to the Duke of Edinburgh's memory for them to carry on electioneering as if nothing had happened and I am sure upsetting to the Queen.

"The Liberal Democrats in Watford have yet again put their party political interest ahead of the national interest. 

"First they broke the Covid rules and delivered during lockdown and now just a few weeks later they're at it again.

"As for their claim their candidate in Vicarage Ward received a leaflet through his door at 10.45am on Sunday from Labour, that is demonstrably false and it is a lie.

"The round where he lives is not delivered yet and it is sitting in a bag in someone's hallway and the Watford Observer have been provided with photographic proof of this.  The Liberal Democrats are incapable of doing the right and decent thing and when caught out they try to lie their way out of trouble."