Claims of electoral law breach by 26 Tory MPs in General Election 2015 and by-elections
EVIDENCE of undeclared Tory election expenses will be considered by English police today [Wednesday 4 May] during meetings with the Electoral Commission.
Channel 4 News linked undeclared expenses – totaling tens of thousands of pounds in accommodation and travel – to 26 Tory MPs during last May’s General Election and previous by-elections.
In several cases declaring the expense would have brought the candidates above the legal spending limit – meaning the case constitutes potential fraud of the election process.
Following the original revelations several Tory activists called for a full investigations and raised concerns over the legality of party election spending.
Clacton Conservative Party Association chair Delyth Miles said party members would be “absolutely totally and utterly disgusted” over undeclared spending evidence.
Tory campaign manager Katie Woodland added: “I would say, based on the evidence I’ve seen, the fact that it happened in three by-elections, one after the other, it’s systematic. And they know the law. They’ve been running elections for years.”
The Electoral Commission requested a legal extension over the evidence so that a full investigation could take place before any decision on police action.
The Tories have a majority of just 12 MPs in the house of commons.
Online activists have expressed outrage over the allegations – leading to ‘Tory election fraud’ becoming one of the top trending issues online.
Over the past year Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael risked being removed as a MP if he lost an electoral law case taken against him over lies about First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during the General Election.
The Tory party denies any illegal wrongdoing.
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