Farage referred to police for alleged electoral fraud
A Reform UK whistleblower alleges undeclared costs incurred during Nigel Farage’s election effort meant the legal spending limit was exceeded by thousands.
Nigel Farage has been reportedly referred to police over his electoral expenses amid claims that thousands of pounds worth of spending were not accounted for.
In July last year Mr Farage finally became an MP after winning the Essex coastal seat of Clacton with an 8,405 majority at the general election.
It was his eighth attempt at doing so and represented the start of his return to the front line of British politics. He subsequently became leader of Reform UK and the party has consistently led in the polls since April.
However, Richard Everett, a whistleblower who was a member of Mr Farage’s campaign team, claimed that Mr Farage had failed to register all his election expenses.
Mr Everett, who has since left Reform, obtained copies of Mr Farage’s electoral returns, which covered £20,299.80 worth of expenses.
The limit for the election was £20,660.72 and Mr Everett claimed that undeclared expenses included the hiring of two vans fitted with Reform advertising boards and the hire of an armoured vehicle, which was used in a rally by Clacton pier shortly before voters went to the polls.
He also claimed that other undeclared expenses included members of Mr Farage’s media team, banners, signs, T-shirts, and a Reform-themed bar in the campaign office.
He is reported to have handed the documents over to the Metropolitan Police.
Reform categorically denied the claims and said the whistleblower had been removed from the party for improper conduct. It said: “These inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor […] he was expelled several months ago. The party denies breaking electoral law. We look forward to clearing our name.”
Under electoral law all candidates are required to declare their expenses and keep a copy of any receipts worth more than £20. Failure to do so can be a criminal offence. Reform highlighted a 12-month limit in the legislation for potential prosecutions.
Mr Everett told The Telegraph he believed Reform exceeded the spending limit by about £9,000, but that Mr Farage was “blissfully unaware” of the omissions.
Part of Mr Everett’s role in the campaign team was monitoring election expenses and escorting Mr Farage around the constituency.
“Because of my experience as an agent, I’ve done many of these returns myself, so I know what is meant to be on them,” Mr Everett told the newspaper. He said the return did not include electricity or broadband costs or the use of an armoured Land Rover during Mr Farage’s campaign rally.
Mr Everett said: “In this particular case, there was a spending limit of £20,660.72. So that’s the amount you’re allowed to spend on the election. In this return that Peter Harris has produced, he says that we spent £20,299.80.
“I do not think that that is an accurate figure. In fact, I think the £20,660 was exceeded, and the reason why I think that is because of a number of items that were either missing on the return or wrong on the return.”
The Met Police were contacted for comment.
Anna Turley, chair of the Labour Party, said Mr Farage needed to “urgently answer serious questions about whether he broke the law and misled the public when standing for election to parliament”.
She said: “Our parliamentary democracy relies on people playing by the rules so all candidates have a fair hearing with the public. Nigel Farage must come clean and put all the evidence on the table to prove he hasn’t undermined our democracy by breaking the rules. Failure to do so will raise even more questions about what he has to hide.”
Kevin Hollinrake, chairman of the Conservative Party, said: “We all have an obligation to play by the rules to ensure that our elections are free and fair.
“Clearly, there must now be a full investigation by the Electoral Commission and the police to establish the facts and ensure whether or not Mr Farage and the Reform Party have followed the law.”
The Times
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