The Electoral Commission has decided not to investigate Nigel Farage's general election spending in Clacton. The UK election watchdog concluded there is no credible evidence of potential electoral law offenses after examining allegations raised by Labour.
The decision closes the matter following initial inquiries into Reform UK's campaign spending in the Essex constituency during the 2024 general election. Labour had called for an investigation after accusations emerged that Reform failed to declare spending on leaflets, banners, utility bills, and refurbishment of a bar in the Clacton campaign office.
The Electoral Commission wrote to Reform UK: «We did not identify credible evidence of potential offences of electoral law. Therefore, our decision is to close our consideration of the matter following initial enquiries and take no further action.»
Watchdog's findings
A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said: «We have responded to (Labour chairwoman) Anna Turley MP's correspondence which raised questions about Reform UK's spending at the 2024 general election. After carefully considering the information presented in the letter, we did not identify any expenditure relating to Mr Farage's election campaign in Clacton that should have been declared in Reform UK's national expenditure.»
The constituency had a spending limit of £20,660 for the election campaign. The allegations stemmed from Richard Everett, a former Reform councillor who was part of Farage's campaign team. Reform UK characterized Everett as a disgruntled former councillor who had been expelled from the party several months ago.
Reform UK response
Peter Harris, election agent for Farage in Clacton, welcomed the decision. He said: «This was a politically motivated complaint that has been thoroughly examined and decisively dismissed. The facts are clear, the process has been properly followed, and there is no basis for any further allegation, inference, or repetition of these claims.»
Essex Police had previously declined to investigate the allegations, stating that a one-year time limit for such investigations had expired. Reform UK had strongly denied breaking election spending laws throughout the process.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
