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02 Jun 17
11:35
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05 Apr 06
Tory candidate for South Thanet charged over alleged overspending in 2015 election
The Conservative candidate for South Thanet, Craig Mackinlay, who has been under investigation for alleged overspending in the 2015 general election, when he beat Nigel Farage, has been charged, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced this morning.
Nathan Gray, Mackinlay’s agent, and Marion Little, a Tory organiser in the campaign, are being charged too.
Here is the CPS statement in full. It’s from Nick Vamos, its head of special crime.
On 18 April we received a file of evidence from Kent Police concerning allegations relating to Conservative party expenditure during the 2015 general election campaign. We then asked for additional enquiries to be made in advance of the 11 June statutory time limit by when any charges needed to be authorised.
Those enquiries have now been completed and we have considered the evidence in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
We have concluded there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to authorise charges against three people.
Craig Mackinlay, 50, Nathan Gray, 28, and Marion Little, 62, have each been charged with offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983 and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 4 July 2017.
Criminal proceedings have now commenced and it is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.
The Conservative candidate for South Thanet, Craig Mackinlay, who has been under investigation for alleged overspending in the 2015 general election, when he beat Nigel Farage, has been charged, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced this morning.
Nathan Gray, Mackinlay’s agent, and Marion Little, a Tory organiser in the campaign, are being charged too.
Here is the CPS statement in full. It’s from Nick Vamos, its head of special crime.
On 18 April we received a file of evidence from Kent Police concerning allegations relating to Conservative party expenditure during the 2015 general election campaign. We then asked for additional enquiries to be made in advance of the 11 June statutory time limit by when any charges needed to be authorised.
Those enquiries have now been completed and we have considered the evidence in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
We have concluded there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to authorise charges against three people.
Craig Mackinlay, 50, Nathan Gray, 28, and Marion Little, 62, have each been charged with offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983 and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 4 July 2017.
Criminal proceedings have now commenced and it is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.
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given the time they have had, and that he wont attend court until july ? , it seems
an odd time to announce it all and another 7 days might have been better.
an odd time to announce it all and another 7 days might have been better.
Why not now...got to be worth a couple of points off the Tory lead.
well yeah there is that, but they state they have until the
11th to charge him, and being charged does not mean he will
be found guilty.
11th to charge him, and being charged does not mean he will
be found guilty.
11th June was the statutory time limit for charging but they have now been charged.
First rule of election spending these days is secure a good exchange rate with the rouble
Just goes to show you trust the Old Bill they announced weeks ago that no charges would be brought against any Tories regarding the election funding irregularities 
Just goes to show you trust the Old Bill they announced weeks ago that no charges would be brought against any Tories regarding the election funding irregularities
20 were let off :
No criminal charges will be brought against more than 20 Conservative MPs over the national party’s failure to accurately declare campaign spending on a battlebus tour at the 2015 election.
The Crown Prosecution Service said their constituency spending declarations “may have been inaccurate” but concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove dishonesty or bring a criminal case against the MPs and their agents.
At issue was whether the costs of a Conservative campaign battlebus should have been accounted for by local campaigns where the legal spending limits are tighter at between about £11,000 and £16,000, depending on the size of the constituency
Nick Vamos, the CPS head of special crime, said it was not in the public interest to bring charges. “By omitting any battlebus costs, the returns may have been inaccurate,” he said. “However, it is clear agents were told by Conservative party headquarters that the costs were part of the national campaign and it would not be possible to prove any agent acted knowingly or dishonestly,” he said.
No criminal charges will be brought against more than 20 Conservative MPs over the national party’s failure to accurately declare campaign spending on a battlebus tour at the 2015 election.
The Crown Prosecution Service said their constituency spending declarations “may have been inaccurate” but concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove dishonesty or bring a criminal case against the MPs and their agents.
At issue was whether the costs of a Conservative campaign battlebus should have been accounted for by local campaigns where the legal spending limits are tighter at between about £11,000 and £16,000, depending on the size of the constituency
Nick Vamos, the CPS head of special crime, said it was not in the public interest to bring charges. “By omitting any battlebus costs, the returns may have been inaccurate,” he said. “However, it is clear agents were told by Conservative party headquarters that the costs were part of the national campaign and it would not be possible to prove any agent acted knowingly or dishonestly,” he said.
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