page_title: 2015 United Kingdom general election party spending investigation
section_title: Police investigation
hierarchical_section_title: 2015 United Kingdom general election party spending investigation / 2014 and 2015 elections, Conservative Party / Police investigation
caption_attribution_description: English: UK General Election 2015 average spending by party candidates as a percentage of spending limit. Derived from http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/elections-and-referendums/past-elections-and-referendums/uk-general-elections/candidate-election-spending/uk-general-election-spending-against-candidate-spending-limit. These figures are based on all candidate spending returns provided to the Commission by Returning Officers by 31 January 2016, being approximately 86.5% of all candidates who stood in the election.
context_page_description: The United Kingdom General Election 2015 – Party Spending Investigation was a probe involving the UK Electoral Commission, numerous police forces, and the Crown Prosecution Service into spending by political parties and candidates, primarily during the 2015 general election campaign. This co-ordinated investigation has been described as 'an unprecedented and extraordinary situation'.
  At national party level, the Electoral Commission fined the three largest parties for breaches of spending regulations, levying the highest fines since its foundation: £20,000 for Labour in October 2016, £20,000 for the Liberal Democrats in December 2016, and £70,000 for the Conservative Party in March 2017. The higher fine for the Conservatives reflected both the extent of the wrongdoing and 'the unreasonable uncooperative conduct by the Party'.
  At constituency level, related alleged breaches of spending regulations led police to begin investigations into possible criminal conduct of between 20 and 30 Conservative Party MPs.
context_section_description: Claims of overspending in the 2014 elections came to light too late for police investigations due to a statute of limitations on such cases. However, the Commission found cause for concern that campaigns in some constituencies breached the Representation of the People Act 1983, and could constitute criminal activity; its report referred the Conservative Party treasurer Simon Day for investigation to the Metropolitan Police Service, and the Commission passed evidence to relevant police forces for investigation and possible referral to the Crown Prosecution Service.
  Widely publicised criminal investigations of individual MPs, agents, and other officials followed from the allegations (by mid-June 2016, 17 police forces were investigating 20–30 sitting Conservative MPs). As well as the "battlebus" campaign, letters sent out in the name of David Cameron have been implicated.
  14 police forces referred cases to the Crown Prosecution Service for possible prosecution, concerning over 30 people (not all of whom were MPs). These forces were: Avon & Somerset, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon & Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Kent, Lincolnshire, Metropolitan, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, West Mercia, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire.
  Journalistic commentary noted that the law in this area is complex. Defendants may be found guilty of merely 'illegal practice' (where there is no alleged dishonesty) or the more serious 'corrupt practice' (involving dishonesty). Anyone convicted would have a right to appeal. In June 2016, the journalist David Allen Green opined that 'unless compelling evidence emerges of wrongful and dishonest intention – either on a personal level or as part of a conspiracy – then it is hard to see any charges or criminal prosecutions in respect of the allegations as they currently stand'. However, according to The Independent, 'in theory election results in individual seats could be declared invalid if laws are found to have been broken', and this could lead to new by-elections. No conviction would affect the legal standing of legislation previously passed with the involvement of convicted MPs.
  On 10 May 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that it would press no charges in almost all cases, commenting that 'to bring a charge, it must be proved that a suspect knew the return was inaccurate and acted dishonestly in signing the declaration. Although there is evidence to suggest the returns may have been inaccurate, there is insufficient evidence to prove to the criminal standard that any candidate or agent was dishonest'.
  However, on 2 June 2017, charges were brought under the Representation of the People Act 1983 against Craig Mackinlay, who was elected Conservative MP for South Thanet in 2015, his agent Nathan Gray, and a party activist, Marion Little. Appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 4 July 2017, the three pleaded not guilty and were released on unconditional bail pending an appearance at Southwark Crown Court on 1 August 2017. The investigation of Party Treasurer Simon Day remained ongoing.
  Following some delays to the trial, Gray was acquitted on 13 December 2018 and Mackinlay on 9 January 2018. Little, however, was convicted of two counts relating to falsifying election expenses and given a nine-month suspended prison sentence and fined £5,000. The court concluded that Mackinlay and Gray had signed documents falsified by Little "in good faith, not knowing what she had done".
caption: UK General Election 2015 average spending by party candidates as a percentage of spending limit. These figures are based on all candidate spending returns provided to the Commission by Returning Officers by 31 January 2016, being approximately 86.5% of all candidates who stood in the election.
exif: {}