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Conservative Party fined £70,000 after investigation finds 'significant' election campaign expenses issues | Conservative Party fined £70,000 after investigation finds 'significant' election campaign expenses issues |
(35 minutes later) | |
The Electoral Commission has fined the Conservative Party £70,000 over "significant" election campaign expenses issues. | The Electoral Commission has fined the Conservative Party £70,000 over "significant" election campaign expenses issues. |
The independent elections watchdog said the party had made "numerous failures" in reporting its expenses for the 2015 General Election and three by-elections in 2014. | |
Their investigation found the party's 2015 General Election spending return was missing payments worth at least £104,765. | |
Separately, payments worth up to £118,124 were either not reported to the Commission or were incorrectly reported. | Separately, payments worth up to £118,124 were either not reported to the Commission or were incorrectly reported. |
It said a portion of the amount should have been included in the party's return, while another portion was put into the return when it was candidate spending. | It said a portion of the amount should have been included in the party's return, while another portion was put into the return when it was candidate spending. |
The Party also did not include the required invoices or receipts for 81 payments, with the value of £52,924. | The Party also did not include the required invoices or receipts for 81 payments, with the value of £52,924. |
Commission chairman Sir John Holmes said the Tories' failure to follow the rules "undermined voters' confidence in our democratic processes" and said there was a risk political parties were seeing such fines as "a cost of doing business". | |