Tory fraud allegations ‘politically motivated’

CPS says it will not pursue claims over election campaign spending in 2015

The Tories have dismissed election fraud allegations as “politically motivated” after party figures were cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

Prosecutors revealed yesterday they will not bring criminal charges against dozens of Conservative candidates and staff accused of fiddling election expenses in the 2015 campaign.

But the SNP’s Pete Wishart said “the stench still hangs over the Conservatives” as he vows to continue pressing the Tories for answers.

Nick Vamos, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said the tests for bringing charges “are not met and no criminal charges have been authorised”.

One file from Kent remains under consideration.

The decision clears those under investigation of criminal wrongdoing, however the party has already been fined £70,000 by the Electoral Commission for failures in recording election expenses.

Although evidence exists that expense returns from the party were inaccurate, Mr Vamos said there is “insufficient evidence to prove to the criminal standard that any candidate or agent was dishonest”.

He added it would not be possible to prove election agents “acted knowingly or dishonestly” by logging battle bus returns as national rather than local spending, as they were told to do by Conservative party HQ.

“Therefore we have concluded it is not in the public interest to charge anyone referred to us with this offence,” Mr Vamos said.

The Electoral Commission penalty was issued in March because of “significant failures” in how the party registered its election spending, including not properly declaring, or not declaring at all, campaign expenses.

Conservative Party chairman Patrick McLoughlin said he is pleased the matter is “finally resolved”.

He said: “These were politically motivated and unfounded complaints that have wasted police time.”

Pete Wishart, the SNP incumbent in Perth and North Perthshire, said that while the criminal standard of wrongdoing has not been met, the Tories are “not off the hook”.

He told The Courier: “Now it moves up from the election candidates and agents to what was being ordered by party headquarters.”

gmcpherson@thecourier.co.uk