Police confirmed they are examining Archie Manners’ attempt to get on the ballot paper

A PRANKSTER who changed his name to ‘Jeremy Corbyn’ as part of an attempt to stand against the ex-Labour leader deceived a woman into signing his nomination forms, she has alleged.

YouTuber Archie Manners, who shot to fame in 2010 as a rising star of the Young Conservatives, was blocked from standing in Islington North on the basis his candidacy was a “sham”.

Now his official nominator says she was duped into signing his nomination form. It is illegal to deceive electors into thinking they are voting for someone else.

The Met Police confirmed to the Tribune it was looking into the incident.

Hope Purcell, a bookseller, said she was asked by Mr Manners and his long-time collaborator Josh Pieters “to support Jeremy Corbyn” outside Finsbury Park station, which is in the Islington North constituency.

“They were stood outside one of the kebab shops that’s very pro-Corbyn, so I was like, how lovely, what a nice thing,” she said.

“And then I realised I’d signed away my name and my address with no actual knowledge other than them suggesting they needed someone to sign something to help [the] real Corbyn. It left a really bad taste in my mouth.”

Ms Purcell’s name then appeared as the primary nominator for the fake Jeremy Corbyn’s candidacy. She said she had been “weirded out” by the experience, adding that it was a “really gross thing to have been involved in”.

A second voter who signed the nomination papers also confirmed she was not aware she was not providing her signature for the stunt.

“I was in such a rush the day that I signed that petition,” Jemimah Williams-Rumble, a fitness instructor, said. “As soon as I got home and reflected I thought there was something weird about it.”

Mr Manners spoke at the Tory party conference in 2010 and wrote articles for the ConservativeHome blog. It is not known if he is still a Conservative Party member.

He later became famous for YouTube videos in which he targeted celebrities including right-wing columnist Katie Hopkins, as well as activist group Just Stop Oil.

In a post on social media site X, Mr Manners said he had changed his name “by deed poll to Jeremy Corbyn, and tried to stand in Islington North against Jeremy Corbyn, but my papers were rejected on the grounds it was a ‘sham’”.

The Representation of the People Act states that “doing any act designed to deceive a person in relation to the administration of an election” is an offence which carries a maximum penalty of a year’s imprisonment, a fine, or both.

Providing a nomination signature which the candidate knows was secured under false pretences is another offence. A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: “We are aware of this matter. The information is being assessed.”

A source close to the real Corbyn’s campaign confirmed that Mr Manners and Mr Pieters had been spotted seeking nominations, and said: “I know people wish there were more MPs called Jeremy Corbyn in parliament who stood up for their community and their principles. Unfortunately, there is only one Jeremy Corbyn – and he is proud to be seeking re-election as the independent MP for Islington North.”

Mr Manners and Mr Pieters did not respond to multiple requests for comment.