Reform won't be probed over claim party overspent on Farage's election

Reform UK will not be investigated over allegations that the party overspent on leader Nigel Farage's general election campaign last year in Clacton.

Essex Police said the force has assessed the claims but said it falls outside the one-year statutory time limit, so 'no investigation can take place'.

A former Reform councillor and member of Mr Farage's campaign team, Richard Everett, was said to have submitted documents to the Metropolitan Police showing the party spent more than the £20,660 limit in the Essex constituency.

Reform previously strongly denied breaking the law on election spending, and accused Mr Everett of being a 'disgruntled former councillor' who was expelled from the party 'several months ago'.

According to previous reports in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Everett claims Reform failed to declare spending on leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a bar in its Clacton campaign office. 

He alleges that the party's official returns report that it came just £400 under the spending limit set by electoral law, and the undeclared spending would have put it above the cap.

Mr Everett - whose role included the monitoring of election expenses and escorting Mr Farage around during the campaign following his defection from the Conservatives - reportedly said he believed Reform exceeded the spending limit by about £9,000, but he added that Mr Farage was 'blissfully unaware' of the omissions. 

Under electoral law, campaign spending is highly regulated and is divided into expenditure by a national political party and by individual candidates.

National parties have higher spending limits and, while they can buy materials used locally, they must not directly promote a specific candidate using a photograph or the name of a particular area.

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: 'We have assessed a report relating to an allegation around misreported expenditure by a political candidate in connection with the general election in July 2024.

The report had been made on December 5, the force added.

The force said: 'Having regard to the Representation of the People Act 1983, which states any prosecution for such an offence must commence within one year, it has been concluded that this report falls outside of the stated statutory time limit, and no investigation can take place.' 

An Electoral Commission spokesperson said on Thursday: 'We have responded to 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.'

Mr Everett, who defected from the Conservatives to Reform last year, has since left the party and now sits as an Independent councillor.

A Reform spokesman previously said: 'These inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor. The party denies breaking electoral law. We look forward to clearing our name.'