Watchdog drops Tory expenses battle

THE elections watchdog has withdrawn an application to the High Court to make the Conservatives disclose documents relating to its investigation of the party’s election expenses.

The Conservative Party has now provided “sufficient material” to the Electoral Commission so it has withdrawn its application for an information and document disclosure order.

The Tories are facing a probe and police inquiries over allegations that spending on buses transporting activists to campaign in key marginal seats during the 2015 General Election was not properly recorded.

The allegations relate to the cost of its battle bus 2015 campaign and whether it should have been recorded as counting towards individual candidates’ spending limits, rather than as part of the larger national return.

In May, it was reported that eight police forces had been investigating whether Conservative MPs filed election expenses illegally after the 2015 General Election.

In a statement, the watchdog said: “The Electoral Commission has yesterday announced as part of its investigation into the Conservative and Unionist Party campaign spending returns it launched on 18 February, it has withdrawn its application to the High Court for an information and document disclosure order.

“This means that there will be no hearing regarding the order.

“The Commission has made this decision because since issuing its application to the High Court on 12 May, it has received sufficient material from the Party to proceed with its investigation.”