Nigel Farage is said to have been reported to the police after a former aide claimed Reform UK had falsified its election expenses during the party leader’s campaign in Clacton.
Mr Farage has been urged to “come clean” after his campaign was reportedly accused of breaching spending rules during his successful bid to become an MP last year.
Richard Everett, a former Reform UK councillor and member of Mr Farage’s campaign team, is said to have submitted documents to the Metropolitan Police showing the party spent more than the £20,660 limit in the Essex constituency.
Reform has strongly denied breaking the law on election spending and accused Mr Everett of being a “disgruntled former councillor” who was expelled from the party “several months ago”.
But both Labour and the Conservatives said the Reform leader had questions to answer over the allegations.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Everett claims Reform failed to declare spending on leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a bar in its Clacton campaign office.
He alleges that the party’s official returns report that it came just £400 under the spending limit set by electoral law, and the undeclared spending would have put it above the cap.
But he also said he thought Mr Farage himself had been “blissfully unaware”.
Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: “Nigel Farage needs to urgently answer serious questions about whether he broke the law and misled the public when standing for election to Parliament.
“Our parliamentary democracy relies on people playing by the rules so all candidates have a fair hearing with the public.
“Nigel Farage must come clean and put all the evidence on the table to prove he hasn’t undermined our democracy by breaking the rules. Failure to do so will raise even more questions about what he has to hide.”
Meanwhile, Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake called on the police and the Electoral Commission to investigate Mr Everett’s claims.
He said: “We all have an obligation to play by the rules to ensure that our elections are free and fair.”
Mr Everett, who defected from the Conservatives to Reform last year, has since left the party and now sits as an Independent councillor.
Asked about the allegations, Labour minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told Sky News there are “rules on our electoral expenses in order to make sure that everybody standing in our elections has a fair chance, and therefore it’s a serious issue”.
But she added: “If the police are investigating it, we need to leave the police to do that.”
A Reform spokesperson said: “These inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor.”
They added: “The party denies breaking electoral law. We look forward to clearing our name.”
It comes after the Electoral Commission was asked to investigate cryptocurrency donations to Reform UK amid claims Nigel Farage may have “abused his public position as an MP”.
Both Labour and the Lib Dems have requested an investigation after the commission’s quarterly report last week revealed that Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne had given Reform a £9m donation – the largest ever political donation by a single living person.
Reform has said none of the donations from Mr Harborne – who sometimes goes under the Thai name Chakrit Sakunkrit – were in cryptocurrency. But it has declined to answer other questions on cryptocurrency donations that Mr Farage has publicly claimed that the party has received.
In the letter to the commission, the Lib Dems raised concerns over “a potential conflict of interest”, which could “undermine public trust in the integrity of our political system”.
Meanwhile, in a letter to Mr Farage, which was also sent to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Electoral Commission on Sunday evening, Labour Party chair Anna Turley said there are a “number of questions which deserve an urgent answer”.
Reform UK said all its donations “have been reported correctly and in line with the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA).”
The Metropolitan Police has been contacted for comment.
