A few eyebrows are being raised over a letter sent out by (former) Tory MP Marco Longhi to select constituents in Dudley North. The letter highlights Longhi’s involvement “against the Indian Government atrocities towards the people of Kashmir.” He asks the question: “Who will speak for Kashmir in Parliament?” Some Tories are asking questions about the emphasis on the name of the Labour candidate, Sonia Kumar… 

Longhi is a longstanding member of the APPG for Kashmir and says he doesn’t understand the “reason for all the excitement“. He tells Guido, unrepentant:

“My constituents are concerned about issues in Kashmir. Do they trust me, who has campaigned on it, or someone they don’t know, who is Sonia Kumar?”

Eyebrows are raised at the apparent intention of the letter to be divisive, especially as it brings a foreign, religiously-connected dispute into a general election in the UK. It’s certainly not your usual campaign communication…