England: Mark Menzies, Fylde MP, has resigned from the UK Conservative Party due to a campaign fund misuse probe. An internal inquiry discovered ‘a pattern of behaviour that falls below the standards expected of Members of Parliament.’
Menzies was charged with misapplying political contributions to shield his medical expenditures and to pay off ‘bad people’ who locked him in a flat and summoned money for his release. A probe was conducted into the claims of misdeed against Menzies, who denied the allegations. The investigation concluded with the findings that there was no mishandling of party allotments.
However, the MP’s demeanour was seen to be below the needed measures and may include breaching the Nolan regulations of public life. Due to the pressures on himself and his elderly mother, Menzies chose to quit the Conservative Party and will not be standing in the upcoming general election.
While declaring his withdrawal Menzies stated that, “It has been an enormous privilege representing the people of Fylde since 2010, but due to the pressures on myself and my elderly mother, I have decided to resign from the Conservative Party and will not stand at the forthcoming general election. This has been a very difficult week for me and I request that my family’s privacy is respected.”
Reports suggest that the Flyde MP asked for £5,000 from his former campaign manager, claiming he was locked in a flat and needed the money urgently. The amount was expended by his office manager from her personal bank account and refunded from funds raised by contributors. It is claimed that some of the grants meant for Tory drive activities were transmitted to the MP’s private bank accounts and used for his medical expenditures.
Fylde Westminster Group members inscribed on the funds in inquiry, according to a party spokesman. They said: “This body sits outside of the remit of both the Conservative Party and Fylde Conservative Association. Therefore we cannot conclude that there has been a misuse of Conservative Party funds. However, we do believe that there has been a pattern of behaviour that falls below the standards expected of MPs and individuals looking after donations to local campaign funds which lie outside the direct jurisdiction of the Conservative Party.”
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