THE former treasurer of the Conservative Party is facing a police investigation after the party was hit with a record fine over its General Election expenses.
The Electoral Commission ordered the party to pay £70,000 for “numerous failures” in its reporting of its expenses for the 2015 General Election and three by-elections in 2014.
The commission’s findings also “cast doubt” on the expenses declarations of individual Conservative candidates. They include Craig Mackinlay, who successfully saw off the challenge of former Ukip leader Nigel Farage in South Thanet, as well as MPs visited by the party’s controversial Battlebus2015 tour.
Simon Day, who was party treasurer until April last year and who signed off the party’s expenses declaration, has been referred by the commission to the Metropolitan Police.
He could face charges under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act if he is judged to have “knowingly or recklessly” made a false declaration that the party’s election spending return was complete and correct.
The commission’s findings will alarm Conservative MPs who have already faced police questioning over their individual declarations.
At least 12 forces are known to have submitted files to the Crown Prosecution Service with a view to possible criminal action.
It comes with the Tories under pressure on numerous fronts, including a dramatic U-turn on Budget tax rises, the Scottish Government’s demands for a second independence referendum, and as Theresa May prepares to trigger Brexit by the end of the month. The Prime Minister said the party would pay the fine imposed by the commission. “We have complied fully with the Electoral Commission throughout their investigation,” she told ITV News.
But the tensions within the Tory ranks were underlined when party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin reportedly tried to knock the mobile phone from the hand of a Sky News journalist as he tried to film him outside the Houses of Parliament.
Altogether, the commission found payments worth at least £104,765 were missing from the party’s general election expenses declaration while payments worth up to £118,124 were either incorrectly reported or not reported at all.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel