The Conservative Party has been warned that former Tory MP Mark Menzies’ alleged misuse of party funds may amount to fraud, but the whistleblower has been told there is no obligation to report the matter
Mr Menzies, MP for Fylde, Lancashire, gave up the tory whip after The Times reported that he had misused party funds. He disputes the charges.
The allegations came after Mr Menzies’ former campaign manager Katie Fieldhouse was interviewed by the newspaper.
Photographed by Mark Menzies in Peru in 2020.Image: AP
in a New interview with The Times Tonight Ms Fieldhouse, 78, claimed she was told the Conservatives knew the charges could amount to a crime.
She said the Conservative chief of staff “told me that when they first took over the investigation [from the Whips’ Office] They consulted lawyers.”
She added: “He told me on the phone, ‘The lawyers say it’s fraud but you have no obligation to report it because it’s not Tory money’.”
The whistleblower said she was told the decision not to notify police was because it was donor money, not the party’s.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “The party is investigating these claims and has been doing so for several months.
“If any information is considered by the police to be helpful to the investigation they decide to carry out, we will of course share it with them.
“The suggestion that the party has not carefully examined this matter is patently false.”
Lancashire Police said today Labor is “reviewing” information about Mr Menzies after it called for an investigation.
“We can confirm that we have now received a letter detailing the concerns surrounding this matter and we are reviewing the available information in more detail,” police said in a statement.
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The party’s chief whip Simon Hart is said to have been informed of the claims in January, when the former campaign manager reported what had happened.
Sky News understands Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) has been conducting an investigation since the allegations were first made, but more information came to light this week and Mr Hart took immediate action.
Speaking tonight, Labor Party chair Anneliese Dodds said: “The Conservative chair and chief whip must immediately come out of hiding and explain what they know and the advice they have received.
“If they or Conservative Party officials were reportedly warned of potential fraudulent activity and chose not to call the police, that is untenable.”
Mr Menzies, who has been an MP since May 2010, reportedly called his 78-year-old former campaign manager at 3.15am last December to say he was locked in his flat by “bad guys” and needed $5,000 Pounds About Life and Death.”
The newspaper said the amount, which rose to £6,500, was eventually paid by his office manager from her personal bank account and later repaid from funds raised from donors in an account called the Fylde Westminster Group.
Interviewed by Sky NewsMs Fieldhouse said: “I feel terrible because I am a devout Conservative and, as I have said to others, I reported his behavior to the chief whip… and now it is Mid April.
“Draw your own conclusions [about] What’s wrong. “
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Asked if she was disappointed with how the complaint was handled, she said: “Yes.”
Menzies said on Thursday: “I strongly dispute the allegations made against me. I have fully complied with all statement rules. As the investigation is ongoing, I will not comment further.”
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