Nigel Farage reported to police over 'election fraud' allegations
Reform UK has strongly denied breaking the law on election spending
Nigel Farage has been reported to the Metropolitan Police over claims he breached spending rules during his election campaign in Clacton.
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The Reform UK leader, 61, has been accused of falsifying his election expenses during his successful bid to become an MP last year.
The allegations have been made by Richard Everett, a former Reform UK councillor and member of Mr Farage’s campaign team, who is said to have submitted documents to the force.
He claims the party spent more than the £20,660 limit in the Essex constituency and failed to declare spending on items such as leaflets, banners and utility bills.
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”.
Read more: Nigel Farage allegedly told fellow Dulwich College pupil 'that’s the way back to Africa'
Mr Everett told The Telegraph he believed Reform UK had overspent by around £9,000 but that Mr Farage had been "blissfully unaware".
Both Labour and the Conservatives said the Reform leader had questions to answer over the allegations.
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.”
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.
A Reform spokesman said: “These inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor.”He added: “The party denies breaking electoral law. We look forward to clearing our name.”
This month, Mr Farage has also faced allegations he engaged in racist and antisemitic behaviour while he was a pupil at Dulwich College, a top private school in south London.
The accusations include claims that he told a Jewish pupil “Hitler was right” and “gas them”, and told a black pupil: “That’s the way back to Africa.”
The Clacton MP has denied the allegations, variously saying they were “categorically” untrue and at other times saying he “would never, ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way”.
In a press conference last week, he continued to deny he ever made racist remarks in a “malicious or nasty way” while accusing broadcasters reporting on the claims of “double standards”.
LBC has contacted the Met Police and Mr Farage for comment.