Police assess claims Reform overspent on Farage election campaign | UK News

Essex Police are assessing allegations that Reform UK overspent on Nigel Farage’s general election campaign in Clacton last year.

The claims have been made by a former Reform councillor, who the party said was expelled several months ago.

Richard Everett, a former member of Farage’s campaign team, told the Daily Telegraph he believes Reform exceeded the £20,660 spending limit set by electoral law in the Essex constituency and failed to declare some costs, although he said Farage was “blissfully unaware” of the omissions.

A Reform spokesperson denied the party had broken electoral law, saying the “inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor”.

In claims first reported by the Telegraph, Mr Everett alleged that Reform failed to declare spending on some leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a bar in the constituency office.

He submitted documents to the Metropolitan Police and the case has now been transferred to Essex Police, which confirmed it was assessing the allegations.

According to the newspaper, the documents show Reform came within £400 of the legal spending limit for the constituency but Mr Everett claims that figure excludes some costs and he believes the party overspent by around £9,000.

In a statement, 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.”

Farage took over as leader of Reform UK in June 2024, around a month before the general election.

He won the seat of Clacton in Essex from the Conservatives with a majority of more than 8,000.

Labour Party chairwoman 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.”

She added: “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.”

Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake called for a full investigation by the Electoral Commission, which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK, as well as the police.

“We all have an obligation to play by the rules to ensure that our elections are free and fair,” he said.

There are strict legal limits on how much money can be spent on activities to promote a candidate during an election campaign, which are based on the number of registered electors in the area.

There is a separate higher limit on spending to promote a national political party.

Election agents are responsible for reporting spending but candidates must also sign declarations to say their spending record is complete and correct to the best of their knowledge.

Making a false declaration is a criminal offence, which can lead to an unlimited fine or up to 12 months’ imprisonment.