Tory hopeful botches campaign website with image from 350 miles away

A Conservative election candidate has bungled his campaign website by featuring a ruin that he thought was in his constituency - but is actually 350 miles away.

The upper image, which appeared on Morley's website, featured Melrose Abbey in Scotland, before it wasd hurriedly replaced with local landmark below - Reading Abbey. Picture: Craig Morley - Credit: Craig Morley

Would-be MP Craig Morley is attempting to take the strongly pro-Remain Reading East seat from incumbent Labour MP Matt Rodda.

To that end, his team built a website scattered with images from around the constituency - or so Morley thought.

One banner image, emblazoned with the slogan "from Reading East, for Reading East", included a ruin which is definitely not in Reading East.

The historic remains were in fact Melrose Abbey in Scotland.

The picture has now been replaced by the intended Reading Abbey, which rival politicians say is an unmistakeable landmark. Labour councillor Richard Davies of Reading Borough Council told the Reading Chronicle: "It's amazing that he wasn't able to identify our most important heritage asset and one that the council worked hard with local people to restore and re-open to the public.

"It would be obvious to anyone who had visited Reading Abbey ruins that that picture was of a totally different place.'

Morley told the Mail Online: "I was born and raised in Reading, it is my home town constituency.

"The Abbey is an important landmark of the town.

"I grew up with its imprint on the Reading landscape. My website designer added the wrong image in my website banner header. It was an easy mistake for an external agency to make."

He added: "Over the past few months, I have been out and about across Reading East meeting residents and listening to their their concerns.

"I was focused on helping give residents the voice they need.

"I wasn't stuck at my desk checking the website header that had been added. It has now been amended."