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Election fraud looms large over the Tories
Last month the Crown Prosecution Service made an announcement that they would not be charging around 20 Tory MP's over alleged electoral fraud, although the Conservative party had failed to accurately declare their expenditure over the course of the 2015 elections.
The CPS have now charged Tory MP Craig Mackinlay, along with Nathan Gray (Mackinlay's Election Agent) and Marion Little (Conservative Campaign HQ), one month after the original announcement.
Back in 2015, Craig Mackinlay ran a campaign against the then Ukip Leader Nigel Farage and won in their constituency of South Thanet. Investigations into the source of funds at that time failed to produce the necessary evidence and the cases were dismissed. The CPS have now concluded that they have enough evidence to charge Mackinlay and two others, which then begs the question...
What does this mean for the rest of the Tories who were also accused of electoral fraud?
Whatever the verdict is in these three cases, this occurence has highlighted the ever growing need for further transparency when it comes to funding political campaigns.
Read the Crown Prosecution Service's full statement here
