ONLINE trolls should face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of seriously intimidating politicians at elections and referendums, the Electoral Commission said yesterday.

The watchdog backed Government proposals to bar those who target parliamentary candidates or their staff and supporters from standing for office for five years.

And it demanded greater powers to get online platforms to hand over details to identify potential trolls.

In a bid to tackle fake news, it called for a compulsory “imprint” on all non-printed election and referendum material showing who was behind it.

But it didn’t back a removal of the right to vote branding that as a “disproportionate” sanction.

And it warned barring trolls from standing for election would not act as a deterrent for many perpetrators who have no intention to stand as candidates.

It also called for legal protection for candidates and those connected to them to start from the moment they announce an intention to stand.

The Commission suggested longer jail terms should be considered similar to proposals for those convicted of electoral fraud.

It said: “Prison sentences could be a more effective deterrent.

“A person who has been found guilty of any offence and is detained in prison is not allowed to vote.

“The UK’s Law Commissions have recommended increasing the maximum sentence in cases of serious electoral fraud to 10 years.

“The Government should consider whether to apply this maximum sentence to intimidation offences... that are committed during election and referendum periods.”

Claire Bassett, chief executive of the Electoral Commission, added: “People must be able to stand for election and campaign without fear of abuse or intimidation and voters should never be intimidated to vote in a certain way or not at all.

“The UK’s Law Commissions have set out a comprehensive package of reforms that the UK Government should implement to help address many of the problems with the UK’s complex and out-of-date electoral laws.”

Their response was published yesterday in answer to a Cabinet Office consultation launched in July.

It followed a report on intimidation in public life which found that social media was “the most significant factor” driving harassment, abuse and intimidation of 2017 general election candidates, which included threats of violence and sexual violence, as well as damage to property.

The report by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in December had urged ministers to consider a new electoral offence after finding a gap in the legislation.

Currently, extreme cases of intimidation are considered a serious criminal offence, punishable with a custodial sentence where evidence of sustained, pressurising behaviour intended to cause distress and impact campaigning is found.