Ryanair 'Brexit Special' Advert Investigated by Police

Brexit
Ryanair's "Brexit Special" ad offers cheap tickets to overseas voters who want to "fly home to vote 'remain.'" Ryanair

Police are investigating a complaint from the Vote Leave campaign that a Ryanair advert offering cheap flights to expats who want to return to Britain to vote for the country to stay in the European Union breaches bribery laws.

The Ryanair "Brexit special" says overseas voters can "fly home to vote 'remain'" from 19.99 euros ($22) on the day of the referendum, 23 June, or the day before.

The Vote Leave camp claims the ad breaks referendum rules and section 1 of the Bribery Act, which refers to inducing a person to do something "improperly."

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary described the complaints as "desperate" in a statement.

Vote Leave's campaign director Dominic Cummings has, according to The Guardian, sent a two-page document to the Metropolitan Police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe outlining his grievances.

Cummings said: "This appears to be corrupt, since the company is offering discounts on the commercial rate to customers with the sole aim of ensuring that they vote and vote to remain in the European Union."

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it received a complaint. Meanwhile, O'Leary said his firm's seat sale "fully complies" with Ryanair's policy of cutting the costs of air travel.

"Vote Leave must be getting really desperate if they are now objecting to low-fare air travel for British citizens," he said.

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