Police assess claims Reform UK breached electoral law during Farage campaign
Police are looking into allegations Reform UK breached electoral law during its campaign to win Nigel Farage’s Commons seat at last year’s general election.Political opponents have urged the party’s leader to “come clean” over a former aide’s claims that Reform falsely reported election expenses in the Clacton constituency he represents after his 2024 electoral win.Richard Everett, a former Reform councillor and member of Farage’s campaign team, reportedly submitted documents to police showing the party spent more than the £20,660 limit in the Essex constituency.On Monday, Essex police said they were assessing an allegation of misreported expenditure by a political party, understood to be Reform.The news comes as Farage faces increasing pressure to apologise over the racism allegations described to the Guardian by 28 of his peers at Dulwich college.
The latest to speak publicly is Yinka Bankole, who claims that a teenage Farage told him “that’s the way back to Africa”, and said he had felt compelled to speak out after the Reform leader’s attempt at “denying or dismissing” the hurt of his alleged targets.Farage has told reporters that he had never been racist or antisemitic with “malice”.Reform has strongly denied breaking the law on election spending, and accused Everett of being a “disgruntled former councillor” who was expelled from the party several months ago.But Labour and the Conservatives said Farage had questions to answer over the allegations.According to the Daily Telegraph, Everett has claimed Reform failed to declare spending on leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a bar in its Clacton campaign office.
The paper said he had submitted documents to the Metropolitan police with the allegations.He alleges that the party reported it came just £400 under the spending limit set by electoral law, and the undeclared spending would have put it above the cap.But he also said he thought Farage himself had been “blissfully unaware”.The Labour chair, Anna Turley, said: “Nigel Farage needs to reassure the public that he and his party will cooperate fully with the police and put all the evidence they need on the table.“Electoral fraud is a very serious crime which fundamentally undermines our democracy.
All parliamentarians, including party leaders, must play by the rules so all candidates have a fair hearing with the public.“Nigel Farage needs to break his silence on this issue and demonstrate that he and Reform UK have followed the law at all times.Failure to do so will raise even more questions about what he has to hide.”The Conservative chair, Kevin Hollinrake, called on the police and the Electoral Commission to investigate Everett’s claims.“We all have an obligation to play by the rules to ensure that our elections are free and fair.
”Everett, who defected from the Conservatives to Reform last year, has since left the party and now sits as an independent councillor,A Reform spokesperson said: “These inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor,The party denies breaking electoral law,We look forward to clearing our name,”It was reported that Everett first made his complaint to the Metropolitan police.
On Monday, the force said: “The Met received an online report on Friday 5 December relating to alleged misreported expenditure by a candidate in connection with the 2024 general election.”Later the same day, Essex police said: “We are assessing a report relating to alleged misreported expenditure by a political party in connection with the 2024 general election, following a referral to us by the Met police.”While neither police force named a party or a candidate, the Met said the transfer to the Essex force had come about “due to the location of the alleged offences”.
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