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Nigel Farage Police are said to have been informed after a former colleague claimed reform uk The party leader had rigged his election expenses during his campaign in clacton,
Mr Faraz He has been urged to “come clean” after his campaign was allegedly accused of violations expenditure rules During his successful attempt to become an MP last year.
Richard Everett, former reform uk The councilor and a member of Mr Faraz’s campaign team are said to have submitted the documents metropolitan police It shows the party has spent over the limit in the Essex constituency by £20,660.
Improvement Has strongly denied breaking the law on election spending and accused Mr Everett of being a “disgruntled former councillor” who was expelled from the party “several months ago”.
But both Labor and the Conservatives said the reform leader had questions to answer over the allegations.
according to WireMr Everett claims Reform failed to declare the expenditure on leaflets, banners, utility bills and a one-off refurbishment of its Clacton campaign office.
They allege that the party’s official returns report said it came just £400 under the spending limit set by electoral law, and that undeclared spending would have put it over the limit.
But he also said he thought Mr Farage himself was “blissfully ignorant”.
Labor Party chair Anna Turley said: “Nigel Farage urgently needs to answer serious questions about whether he broke the law and misled the public by standing for Parliament.
“Our parliamentary democracy depends on people playing by the rules, so all candidates have a fair hearing with the public.
“Nigel Farage must be candid and put all the evidence on the table to prove he has not undermined our democracy by breaking the rules. Failure to do so will raise even more questions about what he has to hide.”
Meanwhile, Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake called on police and the Electoral Commission to investigate Mr Everett’s claims.
He said: “We all have a responsibility to play by the rules to ensure that our elections are free and fair.”
Mr Everett, who switched from Conservative to Reform last year, has since left the party and now sits as an independent councillor.
Asked about the allegations, Labor Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told Sky News, “We have rules on election spending to make sure everyone standing in our elections gets a fair chance, and so this is a serious issue”.
But he added, “If the police are investigating it, then we should leave it to the police.”
A Reform spokesman said: “These false claims come from a disgruntled former councillor.”
He said: “The party denies breaking electoral laws. We are eager to clear our name.”
This comes after the Election Commission was asked to investigate cryptocurrency donations Improvement Britain amid claims Nigel Farage He may have “abused his public office as MP”.
labor and both lib dems The investigation was requested after it was revealed in the commission’s quarterly report last week that Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne Donated £9 million to Reform -The largest political donation ever made by a living person.
Nothing has been said about improvements Donation from Mr Harborne – which sometimes goes under the Thai name Chakrit Sakukrit – were among cryptocurrencies. But it has refused to answer other questions on cryptocurrency donations that Mr Faraz has publicly claimed the party has received.
In a letter to the commission, the Lib Dems raised concerns over “potential conflicts of interest” which could “undermine public confidence in the integrity of our political system”.
Meanwhile, in a letter to Mr Farage, which was also sent to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Electoral Commission on Sunday evening, Labor Party chair Anna Turley said there were “a number of questions that urgently need to be answered”.
Reform UK said all of its donations “are reported correctly and in line with the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA)”.
The Metropolitan Police has been contacted for comment.