Reform, and the death of the Tory Party
- Thread starter briantrumpet
- Start date
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Pblakeney
Guru
Well, if Reform doesn't win the next election it buys him nothing.
If Reform win then the US level of corruption will come here and he will gain. Voters will lose. Remember that voters.
Pinno718
Veteran
You'll need to go out into the streets with a megaphone Blakey.
Pblakeney
Guru
Labour, Conservatives, Liberals, and Greens need to be more forceful about how corrupt a Reform government would be.
It's not as if we don't have anything to use as an example.
OP
OP
briantrumpet
Squire
Ha, does make you wonder. Coincidence? Would Kuenssberg risk Farage's wrath by asking about these, or would she avoid his wrath by making it all plain to see the BBC are giving Reform a free pass?
Easier to try to let it pass, I guess.
Easier to try to let it pass, I guess.
matticus
Legendary Member
Have you tried asking her what biscuits she buys for them?
Pinno718
Veteran
Yeah, do not buy Chocolate Hob nobs.
ebikeerwidnes
Senior Member
When faced with someone like that I find asking an innocent question like
"But I thought that ....."
helps them think a lot more than "YOUR ARE WRING BECAUSE"
Once won;t work but a few times over an hour or so might just make them wonder
I have seen it work a couple of times
OP
OP
briantrumpet
Squire
I'm sure that Farage hardly knew them either. Keep up the pressure, Graun. But it does need other journalists to keep prodding Farage with these 'inconvenient facts'.
https://www.theguardian.com/politic...ts-script-ukip-brexit-party?CMP=share_btn_url
https://www.theguardian.com/politic...ts-script-ukip-brexit-party?CMP=share_btn_url
OP
OP
briantrumpet
Squire
Pinno718
Veteran
More please... Paywall on the Torygraph.
OP
OP
briantrumpet
Squire
Pinno718
Veteran
For the benefit of others:
Nigel Farage has been reported to police by a former member of his campaign team over claims of falsified election expenses.
Mr Farage, the Reform UK leader, is accused of falsely reporting local campaign expenses in Clacton as national party spending in what would amount to a breach of electoral law.
Richard Everett, a former Reform councillor and member of the campaign team that won Mr Farage his first parliamentary seat, has submitted documents to the Metropolitan Police that he claims show an overspend.
The papers show that Reform came within £400 of the legal spending limit of £20,660 in the Essex seaside town, but Mr Everett claims that figure excludes some costs, including leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a blue and teal Reform-themed bar in the campaign office.
He also claimed the party failed to declare the loan of an armoured Land Rover, used by Mr Farage during his last campaign rally on Clacton Pier, as a donation.
The bar in the Reform campaign office, which is at the centre of one of the allegations. It has been claimed that the cost of it was not reported
If Mr Everett’s claims are found to be accurate, Mr Farage and Peter Harris, his election agent, could be found personally liable in court for a breach of electoral law.
Mr Everett was one of the “Farage Four”, a group of Conservative councillors who defected to Reform on the eve of the general election campaign last year and went on to serve as sub-agent on the campaign.
His role included the monitoring of election expenses and personally escorting Mr Farage around the constituency during the campaign.
In total, he told The Telegraph, he believes Reform exceeded the spending limit by around £9,000, but that Mr Farage was “blissfully unaware” of the omissions.
In response, a Reform spokesman denied that any laws had been broken, described Mr Everett as a “disgruntled former councillor” and claimed he was expelled from Reform in August for alleged sexually inappropriate behaviour in the party’s Clacton office. Mr Everett denies the claims.
Richard Everett (far left) on stage with Nigel Farage and other Reform figures including Peter Harris (second right) Credit: Facebook
It is understood that, given the serious nature of the allegations against Mr Farage and his team, the Met’s specialist crime group will assess Mr Everett’s report and the documents he has submitted, which include Reform’s official spending submission, photographs of various campaign materials purchased by the party and expense receipts.
Electoral offences are usually subject to a one-year statute of limitations, although police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service can apply for an extension to that deadline in some cases.
Under electoral law, campaign spending is divided into expenditure by a national political party and by individual candidates.
National parties have higher spending limits and can buy materials used locally, but they may not directly promote a specific candidate using a photograph or the name of a particular area.
Craig Mackinlay, a former Tory MP, was accused of the same offence over allegations that his campaign against Mr Farage in Thanet in 2015 overspent by £60,000.
He was eventually cleared in 2019, although a party official was convicted and given a suspended sentence.
Craig Mackinlay with his wife Kati after the former Conservative MP was acquitted of breaking electoral expenses rules Credit: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire
Mr Everett, a former election agent, alleges that the Reform campaign did not report the cost of some leaflets sent to constituents, which featured Mr Farage’s face, the name of local wards and a list of Reform policies.
“Because of my experience as an agent, I’ve done many of these returns myself, so I know what is meant to be on them,” he told The Telegraph.
“In this particular case, there was a spending limit of £20,660.72. So that’s the amount you’re allowed to spend on the election. In this return that Peter Harris has produced, he says that we spent £20,299.80.
“I do not think that that is an accurate figure. In fact, I think the £20,660 was exceeded, and the reason why I think that is because of a number of items that were either missing on the return or wrong on the return.”
Mr Everett said the spending return did not report any expenditure on electricity or broadband in the Clacton campaign office, which served as the party’s base for the duration of the campaign.
His police report claims that during the election period, when spending is highly regulated, the local party paid to refurbish a bar in the campaign office and did not report the cost.
The Telegraph has seen a photograph of the bar, which has been painted teal and white to match the party’s colours.
Nigel Farage on the campaign trail in Clacton last year Credit: Jason Bye
There is also dispute over the armoured Land Rover used by Mr Farage on July 3 at his campaign rally in Clacton.
The party leader was pictured leaning out of a hatch on the vehicle’s roof, waving a placard and urging constituents to vote for him as the country headed to the polls.
The hire cost of the vehicle does not appear on Reform’s spending return, and Mr Everett said he believes it was donated to the campaign for the day. Reform did not report any donations to the returning officer.
Mr Harris, Mr Farage’s election agent, has since been selected as the party’s candidate in the forthcoming Essex mayoral election, which was scheduled to take place in May but has been delayed by the Government for two years.
More than five million people across the South and East of England will be denied a vote in their areas as a result of the move.
Mr Farage claimed the Labour government had committed “electoral fraud” by delaying the vote and announced that he would challenge the decision in the courts.
Reform sources said that Mr Harris and Mr Everett, who defected at the same time last year, were no longer friends because Mr Harris reported Mr Everett to the party for alleged sexual misconduct in August.
A spokesman for the party said: “These inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor. The party was disgusted by his inappropriate sexual behaviour with women, and he was expelled several months ago.
“The party denies breaking electoral law. We look forward to clearing our name.”
Nigel Farage has been reported to police by a former member of his campaign team over claims of falsified election expenses.
Mr Farage, the Reform UK leader, is accused of falsely reporting local campaign expenses in Clacton as national party spending in what would amount to a breach of electoral law.
Richard Everett, a former Reform councillor and member of the campaign team that won Mr Farage his first parliamentary seat, has submitted documents to the Metropolitan Police that he claims show an overspend.
The papers show that Reform came within £400 of the legal spending limit of £20,660 in the Essex seaside town, but Mr Everett claims that figure excludes some costs, including leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a blue and teal Reform-themed bar in the campaign office.
He also claimed the party failed to declare the loan of an armoured Land Rover, used by Mr Farage during his last campaign rally on Clacton Pier, as a donation.
The bar in the Reform campaign office, which is at the centre of one of the allegations. It has been claimed that the cost of it was not reported
If Mr Everett’s claims are found to be accurate, Mr Farage and Peter Harris, his election agent, could be found personally liable in court for a breach of electoral law.
Mr Everett was one of the “Farage Four”, a group of Conservative councillors who defected to Reform on the eve of the general election campaign last year and went on to serve as sub-agent on the campaign.
His role included the monitoring of election expenses and personally escorting Mr Farage around the constituency during the campaign.
In total, he told The Telegraph, he believes Reform exceeded the spending limit by around £9,000, but that Mr Farage was “blissfully unaware” of the omissions.
In response, a Reform spokesman denied that any laws had been broken, described Mr Everett as a “disgruntled former councillor” and claimed he was expelled from Reform in August for alleged sexually inappropriate behaviour in the party’s Clacton office. Mr Everett denies the claims.
Richard Everett (far left) on stage with Nigel Farage and other Reform figures including Peter Harris (second right) Credit: Facebook
It is understood that, given the serious nature of the allegations against Mr Farage and his team, the Met’s specialist crime group will assess Mr Everett’s report and the documents he has submitted, which include Reform’s official spending submission, photographs of various campaign materials purchased by the party and expense receipts.
Electoral offences are usually subject to a one-year statute of limitations, although police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service can apply for an extension to that deadline in some cases.
Under electoral law, campaign spending is divided into expenditure by a national political party and by individual candidates.
National parties have higher spending limits and can buy materials used locally, but they may not directly promote a specific candidate using a photograph or the name of a particular area.
Craig Mackinlay, a former Tory MP, was accused of the same offence over allegations that his campaign against Mr Farage in Thanet in 2015 overspent by £60,000.
He was eventually cleared in 2019, although a party official was convicted and given a suspended sentence.
Craig Mackinlay with his wife Kati after the former Conservative MP was acquitted of breaking electoral expenses rules Credit: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire
Mr Everett, a former election agent, alleges that the Reform campaign did not report the cost of some leaflets sent to constituents, which featured Mr Farage’s face, the name of local wards and a list of Reform policies.
“Because of my experience as an agent, I’ve done many of these returns myself, so I know what is meant to be on them,” he told The Telegraph.
“In this particular case, there was a spending limit of £20,660.72. So that’s the amount you’re allowed to spend on the election. In this return that Peter Harris has produced, he says that we spent £20,299.80.
“I do not think that that is an accurate figure. In fact, I think the £20,660 was exceeded, and the reason why I think that is because of a number of items that were either missing on the return or wrong on the return.”
Mr Everett said the spending return did not report any expenditure on electricity or broadband in the Clacton campaign office, which served as the party’s base for the duration of the campaign.
His police report claims that during the election period, when spending is highly regulated, the local party paid to refurbish a bar in the campaign office and did not report the cost.
The Telegraph has seen a photograph of the bar, which has been painted teal and white to match the party’s colours.
Nigel Farage on the campaign trail in Clacton last year Credit: Jason Bye
There is also dispute over the armoured Land Rover used by Mr Farage on July 3 at his campaign rally in Clacton.
The party leader was pictured leaning out of a hatch on the vehicle’s roof, waving a placard and urging constituents to vote for him as the country headed to the polls.
The hire cost of the vehicle does not appear on Reform’s spending return, and Mr Everett said he believes it was donated to the campaign for the day. Reform did not report any donations to the returning officer.
Mr Harris, Mr Farage’s election agent, has since been selected as the party’s candidate in the forthcoming Essex mayoral election, which was scheduled to take place in May but has been delayed by the Government for two years.
More than five million people across the South and East of England will be denied a vote in their areas as a result of the move.
Mr Farage claimed the Labour government had committed “electoral fraud” by delaying the vote and announced that he would challenge the decision in the courts.
Reform sources said that Mr Harris and Mr Everett, who defected at the same time last year, were no longer friends because Mr Harris reported Mr Everett to the party for alleged sexual misconduct in August.
A spokesman for the party said: “These inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor. The party was disgusted by his inappropriate sexual behaviour with women, and he was expelled several months ago.
“The party denies breaking electoral law. We look forward to clearing our name.”
