2015 General Election, Labour Party[edit]
In October 2016, the Labour Party was fined £20,000 by the Electoral Commission for underreporting of election expenses at national level, which at the time was the largest fine the commission had imposed since being founded in 2001. The Commission noted the party's co-operation in its investigation.[5] The same Channel 4 investigation that identified the Conservative Party's questionable spending failed to find substantial evidence of similar problems in the Labour campaign.[32]
At constituency level, police investigated allegations that several MPs breached local spending limits. In May 2016, Lancashire Constabulary announced that an investigation had been opened into Labour Party expenses following allegations that Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood broke election spending laws.[33][34] However, in November 2016 they cleared Smith of any wrongdoing and fully exonerated her.[35] Other cases seem likewise to have been droppedThe clock is ticking on #electionexpenses. The deadlines for police action start to expire around two years after the 2015 General Election.
The investigation begins
Channel 4 News has unearthed compelling evidence that the Conservatives may have flouted election laws during the 2015 General Election and in three earlier by-elections. The Electoral Commission and more than a dozen police forces are now investigating. The story began when our reporter started asking questions about the party’s official spending return.
January 2016
20 JAN 2016
Election Expenses published - the investigation begins
22 JAN 2016
Ramsgate ‘sleazebuster’ refers Tory £14,000 hotel bills to Kent police
Why does this all matter?
Who's who
Michael Crick
22 JAN 2016
Electoral Commission investigates Conservative expenses
Undeclared receipts
By February our investigators had secured hundreds of pages of seemingly undeclared receipts for hotel rooms used to host Conservatives during three key by-elections in 2014. If these costs should have been declared in the candidates' spending returns, they would have taken each of them over the legal spending limits.
February 2016
8 FEB 2016
How the story first broke - with our exclusive report
How do election expenses work?
8 FEB 2016
The documents that broke the story wide open
Who's who
Nigel Farage
2,408
hotel nights
£18,973
Amount allegedly overspent by Tory winner in South Thanet
Experts and politicians react to the revelations
How much did the candidates declare - and what we found
The fight to stop Nigel Farage
We also obtained receipts from the Conservative campaign in South Thanet. This was the key battleground seat where the party fought to stop UKIP leader Nigel Farage winning a seat in Parliament. The evidence we unearthed here suggests the Conservative candidate, Craig Mackinlay, may have spent more than twice the legal limit on his campaign.
9 FEB 2016
Did the Conservatives overspend in Thanet South?
Who's responsible?
12 FEB 2016
Channel 4 News Editor demands answers
“Booking out a hotel and putting senior Tory staff in it for a long time could not possibly have been national expenditure”
Nigel Farage
12 FEB 2016
Newark MP questioned over claims the Tories overspent
24 FEB 2016
More evidence emerges regarding Clacton by-election
18 FEB 2016
Election Commission launches first probe
Daily Mirror report raises questions about Battlebus
The Electoral Commission begins its probes
By March, Britain’s elections watchdog had launched an investigation into South Thanet, and soon extended it to examine the three by-elections. Despite mounting questions, the Conservative Party offered little explanation. After a short chase, we caught up with chairman Lord Feldman and put our evidence to him.
March 2016
1 MAR 2016
Watchdog extends its inquiry into spending
29
winning Tory MPs caught up in the investigation.
12
The working majority of the Conservative party
Who's who
Marion Little
10 MAR 2016
Tory chairman forced to answer questions
18 MAR 2016
UKIP demands director of public prosecutions investigation
What does the law say?
The Battlebus - more undeclared hotel costs
The Conservatives unleashed Battlebuses - a new tactic used to mobilize teams of activists into marginal seats. Some Tories say this changed the outcome of the election, crushing the Liberal Democrats in the West Country and denying Labour victory in other key seats. Yet again, we uncovered evidence that the party failed to declare the full costs. They stated this was due to "an administrative error".
April 2016
20 APR 2016
Tories admit to failing to declare election campaign spending on buses
20 APR 2016
Battlebus revelations in the south
20 APR 2016
Battlebus revelations - the documents in full
Who's who
David Cameron
21 APR 2016
Battlebus: More revelations up north
21 APR 2016
Scott Mann MP admits Battlebus activists campaigned for him
I was co-chairman but compliance wasn’t my side of things. The campaigning side was my side, but not the money and the finance.
Grant Shapps, former Conservative Party chairmanThe police launch investigations
In May, the dam bursts and more than a dozen police forces announced investigations into the Conservatives’ expenses. They began to apply to magistrates’ courts for a one year extension to the time limit on investigating election offences. In total, 29 winning Conservative MPs fall under the spotlight. The party’s majority in Parliament is just 12.
19
police forces granted extension to time limit on investigation
3 MAY 2016
Police and Crime Commissioner candidate caught up in scandal
May 2016
4 MAY 2016
Police forces meet with Commission to discuss spending
Who's who
Lord Feldman & CCHQ
6 MAY 2016
The dam bursts – constabularies announce investigations
Behind the photo:
South Thanet Campaign HQ
What's a battlebus and why does it matter?
9 MAY 2016
Election agent linked to scandal becomes Police and Crime Commissioner
10 MAY 2016
Police Fed call for resignation of Crime Comissioner
Electoral Commission demands documents
Later in May, it is revealed that the Electoral Commission had to repeatedly ask the Conservative Party to disclose material relevant to their investigations but have not received it all. The Commission applies to the High Court for an Order which will grant them access to the party’s records.
12 MAY 2016
Election watchdog takes Tories to court
17 MAY 2016
Labour implicated in the scandal
22 MAY 2016
SNP call for police investigation
27 MAY 2016
Tories take police to court to avoid time limit extension
Did Labour break the rules?
1 JUNE 2016
Police win court battle, dismissing Tory attempt to block investigation
The attempt to block investigations in South Thanet
While most police forces received permission to extend the deadline for investigating expenses, Kent Police faced an unprecedented challenge. A top QC was hired to thwart their investigation into Conservative Craig Mackinlay’s campaign spending during his battle with Nigel Farage in South Thanet. In the end, the judge threw out this extraordinary legal bid.
June 2016
The investigation has been delayed and hindered by the failure of the [Conservative] Party to provide complete and timely disclosure... these allegations go to the very heart of our democracy.
Electoral Commission witness statementWhy did this court date matter?
7 JUN 2016
Tories question integrity of watchdog
In my judgment the combination of circumstances before me is wholly exceptional and goes far beyond the usual circumstances that would exist in a typical case where election offences are being investigated.
District Judge Barron, Folkestone Magistrates Court
15 JUN 2016
David Cameron interviewed by Jon Snow on election expenses
Who's who
The Channel 4 News Investigations Unit
21 JUN 2016
Call centres involved in election push polling?
What does the Conservative party say about the allegations?
November 2016
15 NOV 2016
Prime Minister's chief of staff drawn into election expenses investigation
February 2017
28 FEB 2017
New emails reveal role of PM’s top aide
March 2017
Tory whistleblowers accuse Conservatives of ‘huge betrayal’ of electorate
15 MAR 2017
New emails show more members of PM’s top team involved
April 2017
CPS considering charges against over 30 people including Tory MPs over expenses
What will happen next?
The Conservative Party has always maintained that its election expenses in 2014 and 2015 were declared “in accordance with the law” and this will now be put to the test. The Electoral Commission probe continues - now the longest investigation in its history. It is not expected to reveal its findings before 2017. Meanwhile, more than a dozen police forces are also investigating. Our work also continues. Contact us: c4investigations@itn.co.uk
The clock is ticking on #electionexpenses. The deadlines for police action start to expire around two years after the 2015 General Election.
Share the story before it's too late.
The investigation begins
Channel 4 News has unearthed compelling evidence that the Conservatives may have flouted election laws during the 2015 General Election and in three earlier by-elections. The Electoral Commission and more than a dozen police forces are now investigating. The story began when our reporter started asking questions about the party’s official spending return.
January 2016
20 JAN 2016
Election Expenses published - the investigation begins
22 JAN 2016
Ramsgate ‘sleazebuster’ refers Tory £14,000 hotel bills to Kent police
Why does this all matter?
Who's who
Michael Crick
22 JAN 2016
Electoral Commission investigates Conservative expenses
Undeclared receipts
By February our investigators had secured hundreds of pages of seemingly undeclared receipts for hotel rooms used to host Conservatives during three key by-elections in 2014. If these costs should have been declared in the candidates' spending returns, they would have taken each of them over the legal spending limits.
February 2016
8 FEB 2016
How the story first broke - with our exclusive report
How do election expenses work?
8 FEB 2016
The documents that broke the story wide open
Who's who
Nigel Farage
2,408
hotel nights
£18,973
Amount allegedly overspent by Tory winner in South Thanet
Experts and politicians react to the revelations
How much did the candidates declare - and what we found
The fight to stop Nigel Farage
We also obtained receipts from the Conservative campaign in South Thanet. This was the key battleground seat where the party fought to stop UKIP leader Nigel Farage winning a seat in Parliament. The evidence we unearthed here suggests the Conservative candidate, Craig Mackinlay, may have spent more than twice the legal limit on his campaign.
9 FEB 2016
Did the Conservatives overspend in Thanet South?
Who's responsible?
12 FEB 2016
Channel 4 News Editor demands answers
“Booking out a hotel and putting senior Tory staff in it for a long time could not possibly have been national expenditure”
Nigel Farage
12 FEB 2016
Newark MP questioned over claims the Tories overspent
24 FEB 2016
More evidence emerges regarding Clacton by-election
18 FEB 2016
Election Commission launches first probe
Daily Mirror report raises questions about Battlebus
The Electoral Commission begins its probes
By March, Britain’s elections watchdog had launched an investigation into South Thanet, and soon extended it to examine the three by-elections. Despite mounting questions, the Conservative Party offered little explanation. After a short chase, we caught up with chairman Lord Feldman and put our evidence to him.
March 2016
1 MAR 2016
Watchdog extends its inquiry into spending
29
winning Tory MPs caught up in the investigation.
12
The working majority of the Conservative party
Who's who
Marion Little
10 MAR 2016
Tory chairman forced to answer questions
18 MAR 2016
UKIP demands director of public prosecutions investigation
What does the law say?
The Battlebus - more undeclared hotel costs
The Conservatives unleashed Battlebuses - a new tactic used to mobilize teams of activists into marginal seats. Some Tories say this changed the outcome of the election, crushing the Liberal Democrats in the West Country and denying Labour victory in other key seats. Yet again, we uncovered evidence that the party failed to declare the full costs. They stated this was due to "an administrative error".
April 2016
20 APR 2016
Tories admit to failing to declare election campaign spending on buses
20 APR 2016
Battlebus revelations in the south
20 APR 2016
Battlebus revelations - the documents in full
Who's who
David Cameron
21 APR 2016
Battlebus: More revelations up north
21 APR 2016
Scott Mann MP admits Battlebus activists campaigned for him
I was co-chairman but compliance wasn’t my side of things. The campaigning side was my side, but not the money and the finance.
Grant Shapps, former Conservative Party chairman
The police launch investigations
In May, the dam bursts and more than a dozen police forces announced investigations into the Conservatives’ expenses. They began to apply to magistrates’ courts for a one year extension to the time limit on investigating election offences. In total, 29 winning Conservative MPs fall under the spotlight. The party’s majority in Parliament is just 12.
19
police forces granted extension to time limit on investigation
3 MAY 2016
Police and Crime Commissioner candidate caught up in scandal
May 2016
4 MAY 2016
Police forces meet with Commission to discuss spending
Who's who
Lord Feldman & CCHQ
6 MAY 2016
The dam bursts – constabularies announce investigations
Behind the photo:
South Thanet Campaign HQ
What's a battlebus and why does it matter?
9 MAY 2016
Election agent linked to scandal becomes Police and Crime Commissioner
10 MAY 2016
Police Fed call for resignation of Crime Comissioner
Electoral Commission demands documents
Later in May, it is revealed that the Electoral Commission had to repeatedly ask the Conservative Party to disclose material relevant to their investigations but have not received it all. The Commission applies to the High Court for an Order which will grant them access to the party’s records.
12 MAY 2016
Election watchdog takes Tories to court
17 MAY 2016
Labour implicated in the scandal
22 MAY 2016
SNP call for police investigation
27 MAY 2016
Tories take police to court to avoid time limit extension
Did Labour break the rules?
1 JUNE 2016
Police win court battle, dismissing Tory attempt to block investigation
The attempt to block investigations in South Thanet
While most police forces received permission to extend the deadline for investigating expenses, Kent Police faced an unprecedented challenge. A top QC was hired to thwart their investigation into Conservative Craig Mackinlay’s campaign spending during his battle with Nigel Farage in South Thanet. In the end, the judge threw out this extraordinary legal bid.
June 2016
The investigation has been delayed and hindered by the failure of the [Conservative] Party to provide complete and timely disclosure... these allegations go to the very heart of our democracy.
Electoral Commission witness statement
Why did this court date matter?
7 JUN 2016
Tories question integrity of watchdog
In my judgment the combination of circumstances before me is wholly exceptional and goes far beyond the usual circumstances that would exist in a typical case where election offences are being investigated.
District Judge Barron, Folkestone Magistrates Court
15 JUN 2016
David Cameron interviewed by Jon Snow on election expenses
Who's who
The Channel 4 News Investigations Unit
21 JUN 2016
Call centres involved in election push polling?
What does the Conservative party say about the allegations?November 2016
15 NOV 2016
Prime Minister's chief of staff drawn into election expenses investigation
February 2017
28 FEB 2017
New emails reveal role of PM’s top aide
March 2017
Tory whistleblowers accuse Conservatives of ‘huge betrayal’ of electorate
15 MAR 2017
New emails show more members of PM’s top team involved
April 2017
CPS considering charges against over 30 people including Tory MPs over expenses
What will happen next?
The Conservative Party has always maintained that its election expenses in 2014 and 2015 were declared “in accordance with the law” and this will now be put to the test. The Electoral Commission probe continues - now the longest investigation in its history. It is not expected to reveal its findings before 2017. Meanwhile, more than a dozen police forces are also investigating. Our work also continues. Contact us: c4investigations@itn.co.uk
Why does this all matter?
Election laws exist to protect our democracy and ensure a level playing field.
Political campaigning is an increasingly sophisticated business, and a political party with more money has the potential to reach - and persuade - a greater number of people.
Under election laws, both political parties, and their candidates, must declare all their campaign spending, and stick within strict spending limits that prevent richer parties gaining an unfair advantage.
These laws rely on public and media scrutiny.
However, for decades - despite suspicion - this campaign spending has often gone unchecked.
After receiving specific allegations of wrongdoing, Channel 4 News spent six months scrutinising campaign spending by political parties in England and Wales, in ‘Election Expenses Exposed’.
We’ve found compelling evidence which raises questions about election spending by the Conservative Party, firstly in three key by-elections held in 2014, and then in the 2015 General Election.
The allegations pose fundamental questions over how political parties in this country can obtain power.
Ongoing investigations by the Electoral Commission and a number of police forces could see sweeping changes to how the democratic process functions in this country.
At most, it has the potential to see elections re-run, and the Government lose its slim grip on power.Why does this all matter?
Election laws exist to protect our democracy and ensure a level playing field.
Political campaigning is an increasingly sophisticated business, and a political party with more money has the potential to reach - and persuade - a greater number of people.
Under election laws, both political parties, and their candidates, must declare all their campaign spending, and stick within strict spending limits that prevent richer parties gaining an unfair advantage.
These laws rely on public and media scrutiny.
However, for decades - despite suspicion - this campaign spending has often gone unchecked.
After receiving specific allegations of wrongdoing, Channel 4 News spent six months scrutinising campaign spending by political parties in England and Wales, in ‘Election Expenses Exposed’.
We’ve found compelling evidence which raises questions about election spending by the Conservative Party, firstly in three key by-elections held in 2014, and then in the 2015 General Election.
The allegations pose fundamental questions over how political parties in this country can obtain power.
Ongoing investigations by the Electoral Commission and a number of police forces could see sweeping changes to how the democratic process functions in this country.
At most, it has the potential to see elections re-run, and the Government lose its slim grip on power..[36]
