Wednesday 21 July 2010

Electoral Commission to review Zac Goldsmith's election spending

The Electoral Commission today announced that it was carrying out a review of the Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith's election spending after questions were raised over whether he declared in full the money spent on his campaign for the 6 May poll. The multimillionaire MP, who won Richmond Park from the Liberal Democrats, was involved in a live on-air spat with the Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow after the programme broadcast allegations about his spending.


In a joint investigation, Channel 4 News and the Bureau for Investigative Journalism (BIJ) uncovered invoices for campaign items including signs, leaflets and branded jackets which allegedly did not tally with the spending declaration made by the Goldsmith team. Goldsmith's declaration, signed on 7 June, stated that he spent £220 less than the £11,003 limit for the final 23 days of the campaign, with a total of £10,783.

After assessing a dossier of evidence submitted by the BIJ, the Electoral Commission said it was carrying out a case review, which falls short of a full investigation but could lead to a ruling over whether there had been a breach of election law. A spokeswoman stressed that the launch of the review did not indicate that any judgment had been made on whether or not Goldsmith breached the rules.

In a letter to the BIJ, the commission said: "The assessment of the information indicated that there was the possibility of a failure to comply with the Representation of the People Act 1983 (RPA) and that further enquiries should be made in order to establish the facts of the matter." The commission will not at this stage use its formal powers of investigation or conduct interviews, but will examine any information provided to it.

Goldsmith said: "I welcome the review, and both my agent and I will help it in every way possible. "It will find that we were absolutely scrupulous, at every stage, in ensuring that our election spending complied with the letter and the spirit of the rules. We followed to the letter the formula which we and all MPs and candidates were given."

Jim Gray, the editor of Channel 4 News, said: "We welcome the decision by the Electoral Commission to probe further into the questions our report raised. The report had implications not just for Goldsmith, but for other MPs and for public trust in the political system. Meanwhile, our investigation into electoral expenses continues."

the Guardian