Treat Remain and Leave ‘equally’ on spending

The election watchdog should either investigate Remain campaign spending or drop an inquiry into Vote Leave spending, Priti Patel, the former Cabinet minister, has said.

Yesterday, it was revealed that the campaign to keep Britain in the EU was facing questions over spending rules during the referendum, in relation to a £76,000 celebrity video.

Ms Patel said she had “deep concerns” about collusion that may have allowed the Remain campaign to breach a £7million spending limit. “It seemed the Electoral Commission was holding Leave to one standard and Remain to another,” Ms Patel said.