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The elections watchdog is examining Labour’s spending on Angela Rayner’s general election battle bus following Conservative complaints.<\/p>\n
The Tories claim 24 Labour MPs may have broken the law by not declaring a visit from the battle bus in their election expenses. <\/p>\n
They are calling on the Electoral Commission to launch a full inquiry into what they say is an abuse of the system to gain an unfair advantage. <\/p>\n
A Labour spokesperson said: “All necessary declarations have been made in line with the rules, including with regards to the ‘Change’ battle bus.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Labour’s deputy leader criss-crossed the country in the ‘Change’ bus to drum up votes in the run up to 4 July’s general election. Other leading Labour figures, including Lisa Nandy and Anneliese Dodds, also used the bus.<\/p>\n
Under electoral law, candidates are meant to declare such visits in their expenses as a “benefit in kind” if the visits promote their own election campaign. <\/p>\n
If the visit was to promote the national party’s campaign then it is meant to be declared to the Electoral Commission.<\/p>\n
The Conservative Party claims in a letter to the Commission that each battle bus visit “effectively became a ‘rally’ and press conference for the individual candidate” and was used to promote the candidate on social media.<\/p>\n
According to Tory analysis of social media posts and official spending returns by candidates, 24 Labour MPs did not declare a visit from the battle bus and others did not follow the rules in different ways. <\/p>\n
Shadow local government secretary Kevin Holinrake said: “In tight races across the country, Labour MPs have benefitted from Labour’s battle bus without declaring it.<\/p>\n
“Cabinet ministers are involved, who must know better.”<\/p>\n
He is calling on the Electoral Commission to “undertake a forensic investigation working alongside the police”.<\/p>\n
Labour insists all the necessary declarations have been made.<\/p>\n
The Electoral Commission says campaign spending by individual candidates does not fall under its remit and is a matter for the police.<\/p>\n
But it say it is examining national spending returns submitted to it by the Labour Party, something it does have jurisdiction over.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the watchdog said: “The classification of spend on a battle bus will depend on whether the spending promotes the party or the candidate.\u202f<\/p>\n
“Activity promoting a candidate is typically reported on the candidate return, activity promoting the party must be included in the party return. <\/p>\n
“The Commission is considering information relating to the Labour Party’s use of its battle bus in line with the Commission’s Enforcement Policy.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n