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Vote Leave fined and reported to police by Electoral Commission Vote Leave fined and reported to police by Electoral Commission
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Vote Leave has been fined and reported to the police by the Electoral Commission, after the watchdog found “significant evidence” of coordination with another campaign group, BeLeave. Vote Leave has been fined £61,000 and reported to the police by the Electoral Commission, after the watchdog found “significant evidence” of coordination with another campaign group, BeLeave.
The watchdog said it had imposed punitive fines on Vote Leave because it said the group had refused to co-operate fully with its investigation and declined to be interviewed. Its former chief executive, Matthew Elliott, had previously alleged it was the Electoral Commission that had refused to cooperate.
The commission’s long-awaited report said it had found evidence BeLeave spent more than £675,000 with data firm Aggregate IQ coordinated with Vote Leave, which should have been declared by the Brexit campaign group.The commission’s long-awaited report said it had found evidence BeLeave spent more than £675,000 with data firm Aggregate IQ coordinated with Vote Leave, which should have been declared by the Brexit campaign group.
Vote Leave, which was the official designated campaign for Britain leaving the EU during the referendum, exceeded its legal spending limit of £7m by almost £500,000, the watchdog found. Vote Leave, which was the official designated campaign for Britain leaving the EU during the referendum fronted by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, exceeded its legal spending limit of £7m by almost £500,000, the watchdog found.
Darren Grimes, the founder of BeLeave, and the Vote Leave official David Halsall have been reported to the police. Vote Leave has been fined a total of £61,000 and Grimes £20,000. Darren Grimes, the founder of BeLeave, and the Vote Leave official David Halsall have been reported to the police. Vote Leave has been fined £61,000 and Grimes £20,000.
Bob Posner, of the Electoral Commission, criticised the campaign as the report was released, saying Vote Leave had “resisted our investigation from the start, including contesting our right as the statutory regulator to open the investigation”. The commission said it had shared its investigation files with the Metropolitan police to investigate whether any other offences had been committed outside the watchdog’s remit.
Electoral Commission chief executive Claire Bassett was scathing about Vote Leave’s refusal to cooperate, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Over a three-month period we actually made five attempts to interview Vote Leave and we were unable to.
“We have in fact issued a record fine for failure to cooperate with a statutory notice because we found it so difficult to get Vote Leave to work with us in this investigation.”
Bob Posner, of the Electoral Commission, also criticised the campaign, saying Vote Leave had “resisted our investigation from the start, including contesting our right as the statutory regulator to open the investigation”.
“It has refused to cooperate, refused our requests to put forward a representative for interview, and forced us to use our legal powers to compel it to provide evidence. Nevertheless, the evidence we have found is clear and substantial, and can now be seen in our report,” he added.“It has refused to cooperate, refused our requests to put forward a representative for interview, and forced us to use our legal powers to compel it to provide evidence. Nevertheless, the evidence we have found is clear and substantial, and can now be seen in our report,” he added.
Posner said the commission had found “serious breaches of the laws put in place by parliament to ensure fairness and transparency at elections and referendums”.
Elliott had revealed the outcome of the investigation would be damaging to Vote Leave in interviews before the report was officially released. He said Vote Leave was contesting the claims and accused the watchdog of “a highly political agenda”.
He said his group followed “the letter of the law and spirit of the law” and alleged that the commission had not interviewed senior figures from Vote Leave. He told the BBC he had submitted a 500-page dossier to the Electoral Commission rebutting the claims.
The investigation also found the campaign group Veterans for Britain inaccurately reported a donation it received from Vote Leave. It has been fined £250. The watchdog found no evidence that Veterans for Britain campaigned under a common plan with Vote Leave.The investigation also found the campaign group Veterans for Britain inaccurately reported a donation it received from Vote Leave. It has been fined £250. The watchdog found no evidence that Veterans for Britain campaigned under a common plan with Vote Leave.
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