Tories say Electoral Commission risks looking biased over election fraud investigation

The Electoral Commission risks looking as if it is “biased” in investigating allegations that the Conservatives broke election spending rules, a Tory MP has said.

Charles Walker wrote to the Commission on Tuesday arguing that “a number of political parties have interpreted the rules on election spending in a similar fashion to the Conservative party”.

Mr Walker said other parties including Labour, the SNP, and the Liberal Democrats had registered visits from battle busses as national expenditure rather than locally in constituencies they visited.

Media coverage of alleged breaches of election expenses at the 2015 general election has so far focused on allegations relating to the Conservatives.

An investigation by Channel 4 News alleged that there are questions about Tory battlebus spending in 29 key constituencies at the General Election, as well as hotel costs for activists in South Thanet. That seat was contested by Ukip leader Nigel Farage.

Statements from police forces across the country have however so far not named parties being investigated under alleged breaches, noting only that investigations had been set up into spending at the 2015 general election.

South Thanet Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay and his election agent Nathan Gray failed in a legal bid earlier this month to block a police investigation there.

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The judge in that case at Folkestone Magistrates Court said that “the consequences of a conviction” in that case “would be of a local and national significance with the potential for election results being declared void.”

The Conservatives were also earlier this year accused by the Electoral Commission of withholding key documents required for an investigation to proceed before a key cut-off deadline.

The party previously put some of the alleged irregularities down to an administrative error. It appears to endorse Mr Walker’s letter, having press released it to journalists.

Mr Walker claimed that 13 Labour MPs who had reportedly received visits from Harriet Harman’s “Pink Bus” had not declared the visits locally.

He said other buses had visited Ealing Central and Acton, a constituency which had not declared transport expenses.

The MP also said said the Liberal Democrats had not declared bus visits to Chippenham in the constituency, and that the SNP had declared a helicopter visit by Nicola Sturgeon nationally rather than locally.

“I would be grateful if the Electoral Commission could look into the issues that I have raised, regardless of the party involved, with a view to clarifying the guidance on local and national election spending?” he wrote.

“If the Electoral Commission does not look at these issues it could give the impression that the Commission is not being impartial, or, indeed, is behaving in a way that could lead to it being accused of political bias.”

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An Electoral Commission spokesperson said:

“We have received correspondence from Charles Walker MP and are considering its contents before responding in due course. The Commission’s role is to regulate national party spending. Allegations surrounding candidate spending returns are a matter for the police to investigate and there are a number of on-going investigations. The Commission has been calling since 2013 for the power to regulate candidate spending.”