A Labour candidate for Herne Hill has been accused of “intimidation” following a row over leaflets distributed by a campaign group.

Jack Holborn, who is a barrister and is standing for re-election on May 3, sent “very aggressive” emails from his professional barrister’s email address to stop Brockwell Tranquility from distributing a leaflet as part of its campaign to stop Field Day taking place in Brockwell Park.

In an email to Brockwell Tranquility’s spokeswoman Alice Salisbury, Mr Holborn said the leaflet suggests he made a comment he claims he never said, which he says defames him.

Mr Holborn said the exchange, which has been seen by this newspaper, was “in open correspondence and not without prejudice.”

He said he  would be seeking the payment of any legal costs from Ms Salisbury which would be “costly.”

Mr Holborn also said the leaflet was a “breach of election law” as it is “plainly directed in support of the Green Party” but did not have the Green Party imprint on it.

He said this would “lead to the election being annulled in the event any of the Green candidates were to be elected.”

He also made it clear he knows where Ms Salisbury lives and implied he is watching her home.

“I strongly suspect it has been coordinated with them [Lambeth Green Party] – I spotted someone looking like Nick Christian [Lambeth Green Party press contact] on what I believe was your door step on Friday,” he said in an email.

But Ms Salisbury was concerned Mr Holborn knew her home and personal email address, and was “hint[ing] at me somehow being watched in a way that would clearly make me feel intimidated.”

She said she had met with people from a variety of political parties, and was confused as to why the legal action was directed at her personally and not the group.

“I am just the mug who said they would put their mug on things,” she said.

She said the leaflet set out the position of the major parties towards the festival, and had no political affiliation.

“If he [Mr Holborn] actually does believe now that Field Day should not go ahead, we will obviously publicise it heavily,” she said.

The group, which was made up of a variety of people, had not shared any of the leaflets following Mr Holborn’s threats of legal actions, Ms Holborn said.

“Some of them [members of Brockwell Tranquillity] are elderly and some are disabled. If they get dragged into a conversation like that, it’s really stressful,” she said.

“In the end we just felt like we haven’t got any choice; we haven’t got any money to start replying with legal letters.”

Mr Holborn said he was aware of her address because it had been included in an email she sent him.

The Green Party confirmed they had no ties with Brockwell Tranquillity but “supported their aims.”