Ilford North candidate Doris Osen suffers setback when Royal Mail delivers her leaflets to Chingford

The great-grandmother is hoping to become Britain’s oldest MP as she takes on the political mainstream in Ilford North.

But her campaign was handed a major setback after it seems the Royal Mail handed a proportion of her 40,000 leaflets to the wrong constituency - Chingford and Woodford Green.

Mrs Osen, who only achieved 87 votes in the same seat in 2015, said she “didn’t know” about the mix-up and planned to “have the post office investigated”.

She added: “I sent out 40,300 because that is the number of homes in Ilford North.

“So if some of them have been delivered to Chingford, then people in Ilford North are going without.”

Mrs Osen spent £2,000 producing leaflets making sure the artwork was approved before organising them into four separate areas for the post office to send out.

As part of the £500 deposit Mrs Osen paid to stand, the Royal Mail has to deliver her election literature to each home in the constituency.

Mrs Osen added: “It’s very difficult for independents because we have to do everything ourselves.

“We don’t have a team behind us.

“Even getting those 40,000 leaflets to the post office was difficult.

“It’s very disappointing.”

Mrs Osen suffered further setbacks when she was not invited to two hustings, leaving her to insist on her attendance.

Despite her campaigning challenges, she remains positive about the election.

She said: “I am appealing to my constituents to vote with their conscience in accordance with their principles, to trust me to work for them.”

Politics runs in the Osen family.

Her son Adam ran as an independent in Chingford and Woodford Green in 2010 after legally changing his name to “Non Of The Above” in a bold statement against the political elite.

He said he was “not surprised” by the mix-up with the Royal Mail as independent candidates continually face struggles while campaigning.

The Chingford Guardian has contacted the Royal Mail for comment.