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| Craig Mackinlay: Tory MP in court on election expenses charges | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A Conservative MP and his two aides have been accused of being complicit in relation to false declarations in his 2015 general election expenses as they fought off a challenge from Nigel Farage and Ukip. | |
| The South Thanet MP, Craig Mackinlay, 51, from Ramsgate, Kent, faces two charges of making a false election expenses declaration under the 1918 Representation of the People Act. | The South Thanet MP, Craig Mackinlay, 51, from Ramsgate, Kent, faces two charges of making a false election expenses declaration under the 1918 Representation of the People Act. |
| Marion Little, 62, a party activist from Ware, Hertfordshire, is charged with three counts of aiding and abetting Mackinlay and his election manager, Nathan Gray. Gray, 28, of Hawkhurst, Kent, is accused of two offences of making a false declaration. | Marion Little, 62, a party activist from Ware, Hertfordshire, is charged with three counts of aiding and abetting Mackinlay and his election manager, Nathan Gray. Gray, 28, of Hawkhurst, Kent, is accused of two offences of making a false declaration. |
| The three defendants deny all the charges. | The three defendants deny all the charges. |
| Aftab Jafferjee QC, opening for the prosecution at Southwark crown court in London, said Little had been sent to the Kent constituency from Conservative headquarters to take control of Mackinlay’s campaign because Farage and Ukip were seen as a threat to the party. | |
| “The Ukip candidate in that constituency was Nigel Farage, the Ukip party leader. The threat to the Conservative party had intensified towards that election,” he said. | “The Ukip candidate in that constituency was Nigel Farage, the Ukip party leader. The threat to the Conservative party had intensified towards that election,” he said. |
| Accompanied by a press officer, Little and others had moved into South Thanet to help the campaign several weeks before the election, the prosecution alleged. This generated thousands of pounds in election expenses that had not been declared in official returns. | Accompanied by a press officer, Little and others had moved into South Thanet to help the campaign several weeks before the election, the prosecution alleged. This generated thousands of pounds in election expenses that had not been declared in official returns. |
| “This was a fixed-term election. As a result, there was a well-recognised election expenses system to be followed,” Jafferjee said. | “This was a fixed-term election. As a result, there was a well-recognised election expenses system to be followed,” Jafferjee said. |
| Last year, a week after it was announced that he would be prosecuted, Mackinlay held on to South Thanet with an increased majority of 6,387. | Last year, a week after it was announced that he would be prosecuted, Mackinlay held on to South Thanet with an increased majority of 6,387. |
| The charges relate to party spending during the 2015 election campaign and before the 11 June statutory time limit on prosecutions. In 2015, Mackinlay beat Farage, the then Ukip leader, into second place with a majority of almost 3,000. | The charges relate to party spending during the 2015 election campaign and before the 11 June statutory time limit on prosecutions. In 2015, Mackinlay beat Farage, the then Ukip leader, into second place with a majority of almost 3,000. |
| The prosecution claimed the election returns were knowingly submitted with false declarations and all three defendants had signed the returns and played a part in the submissions. | The prosecution claimed the election returns were knowingly submitted with false declarations and all three defendants had signed the returns and played a part in the submissions. |
| The long campaign declaration said the party had spent about £32,661 – about £4,500 below the spending limit. The short campaign declaration claimed £14,875 was spent, a little below the limit. | The long campaign declaration said the party had spent about £32,661 – about £4,500 below the spending limit. The short campaign declaration claimed £14,875 was spent, a little below the limit. |
| “It is the prosecution’s case that neither of these declarations were true,” Jafferjee said. | “It is the prosecution’s case that neither of these declarations were true,” Jafferjee said. |
| Gray has admitted a signature on the returns that was supposed to be his was a forgery, Jafferjee said. | Gray has admitted a signature on the returns that was supposed to be his was a forgery, Jafferjee said. |
| Accommodation and travel costs, as well as the salary costs of party staff, were omitted from returns, the prosecution alleged. | Accommodation and travel costs, as well as the salary costs of party staff, were omitted from returns, the prosecution alleged. |
| “The returns were woefully incomplete and woefully inaccurate,” Jafferjee said. | “The returns were woefully incomplete and woefully inaccurate,” Jafferjee said. |
| It is alleged that some expenses incurred during the campaign were wrongly attributed to national Tory expenditure, instead of local spending. | |
| If they had been attributed correctly, they would have been in breach of spending limits, it was claimed. | |
| The court heard Little booked into Royal Harbour hotel in Ramsgate, in the constituency, on 23 March 2015 and stayed until the end of the campaign on 7 May. | |
| In an email, Little said she had been “marooned in South Thanet”. | |
| The trial heard that after the Conservative victory, Gray emailed Little congratulating her on a “truly magnificent election campaign”. | |
| Jafferjee said Mackinlay and Gray knowingly allowed Little to dictate what was declared on the returns, which did not include her costs. | |
| The court was told that when Little was first questioned by police about the election returns, she said she was not working for Mackinlay but carrying out national campaign work, and was only occasionally helping Mackinlay in her “spare time”. | |
| Jafferjee said she now says she came to Kent to stop Ukip and thebenefit to Mackinlay was “collateral”. | |
| “Such an explanation is factually and logically incoherent. How canyou defeat Nigel Farage unless Craig Mackinlay was elected?” he asked. | |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |
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