Theresa May’s campaign suffered a new blow today as it was announced that a Tory candidate has been charged over his election expenses.
The Crown Prosecution Service said that Craig Mackinlay was due in court along with two others for alleged offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983.
Mr Mackinlay, 50, narrowly beat Nigel Farage, who was then Ukip leader, in South Thanet, in one of the most fiercely contested races of the election two years ago.
The winning Tory candidate filed expenses of £14,800, just under the legal constituency spending limit. Police were asked to investigate claims that more was spent.
Nick Timothy, one of Mrs May’s chiefs of staff, was among Tory aides based in a hotel in the constituency at the time. The Conservatives say he and others were engaged in the national campaign, which is subject to different limits and laws.
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In a statement, the CPS said that Mr Mackinlay, Marion Little, 62, and Nathan Gray, 28, had each been charged with offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983. They are due to appear at Westminster magistrates’ court on July 4.
A spokesman for Mr Mackinlay declined to comment but a Conservative Party spokesman said they believed the allegation against him was “unfounded”.
“The legal authorities have previously cleared Conservative candidates who faced numerous politically motivated and unfounded complaints over the party’s national battlebus campaigning,” the spokesman said.
“We continue to believe that this remaining allegation is unfounded. Our candidate has made clear that there was no intention by him or his campaigners to engage in any inappropriate activity.
“We believe that they have done nothing wrong, and we are confident that this will be proven as the matter progresses.
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“The individuals remain innocent unless otherwise proven guilty in a court of law. The press, parties and those on social media should be aware of the provisions of the Contempt of Court Act and the strict liability rules against publishing anything which would prejudice the course of justice.
“There is a broad consensus that election law is fragmented, confused and unclear, with two different sets of legislation, and poor guidance from the Electoral Commission.
“Conservatives are committed to strengthening electoral law to tackle the real and proven cases of corruption that were exposed in Tower Hamlets in 2015.”