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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/04/vote-leave-breached-electoral-rules-watchdog-will-find-reports
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Electoral Commission 'accuses Vote Leave of breaking law' | Electoral Commission 'accuses Vote Leave of breaking law' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The elections watchdog has accused Vote Leave of illegal coordination with a student organisation, according to the campaign’s former chief executive, who took the extraordinary step of pre-empting the official investigation. | The elections watchdog has accused Vote Leave of illegal coordination with a student organisation, according to the campaign’s former chief executive, who took the extraordinary step of pre-empting the official investigation. |
| A preliminary investigation by the Electoral Commission has concluded that Vote Leave made a donation it should not have made to a smalller pro-Brexit group, according to Matthew Elliott, who ran the official Brexit campaign. | A preliminary investigation by the Electoral Commission has concluded that Vote Leave made a donation it should not have made to a smalller pro-Brexit group, according to Matthew Elliott, who ran the official Brexit campaign. |
| Elliott said the watchdog had found four potential breaches of election law, including exceeding the £7m spending limit, making an inaccurate return of campaign expenditure, missing invoices and receipts, and failing to comply with a statutory notice. | Elliott said the watchdog had found four potential breaches of election law, including exceeding the £7m spending limit, making an inaccurate return of campaign expenditure, missing invoices and receipts, and failing to comply with a statutory notice. |
| Vote Leave said it was contesting the claims, and had gone public with its response to the commission, which is continuing to investigate. | Vote Leave said it was contesting the claims, and had gone public with its response to the commission, which is continuing to investigate. |
| The Electoral Commission said it was “unusual” for the subject of an investigation to try to pre-empt its findings. | |
| The allegations centre on a £680,000 donation passed on by the campaign to a separate youth Brexit group called BeLeave, led by the student Darren Grimes. | The allegations centre on a £680,000 donation passed on by the campaign to a separate youth Brexit group called BeLeave, led by the student Darren Grimes. |
| Whistleblowers alleged that there was co-ordination between the two groups – which is not permitted by electoral law – and that the the money was used for the benefit of Vote Leave to pay data firm Aggregate IQ for targeted social media messaging. | |
| Had this cash been recorded as part of Vote Leave’s referendum expenditure, it would take the campaign’s spending over the £7m limit. | Had this cash been recorded as part of Vote Leave’s referendum expenditure, it would take the campaign’s spending over the £7m limit. |
| Former Vote Leave volunteer Shahmir Sanni told the Observer earlier this year that Vote Leave had offered advice and assistance to BeLeave and helped it to decide where its cash would be spent, allegations he reported to the Electoral Commission and the police. | Former Vote Leave volunteer Shahmir Sanni told the Observer earlier this year that Vote Leave had offered advice and assistance to BeLeave and helped it to decide where its cash would be spent, allegations he reported to the Electoral Commission and the police. |
| Vote Leave now admits there was email correspondence between Anthony Clake, who donated the cash, and Vote Leave’s campaign director, Dominic Cummings, about passing the donation on to BeLeave. | Vote Leave now admits there was email correspondence between Anthony Clake, who donated the cash, and Vote Leave’s campaign director, Dominic Cummings, about passing the donation on to BeLeave. |
| In broadcast interviews on Wednesday, Elliott accused the watchdog of not taking Vote Leave’s version of events into account. | |
| “Their initial conclusion is that we have overspent, that a donation we made to another group during the course of the campaign was incorrect. We shouldn’t have made that donation,” he told Sky News. | “Their initial conclusion is that we have overspent, that a donation we made to another group during the course of the campaign was incorrect. We shouldn’t have made that donation,” he told Sky News. |
| Elliott said whistleblowers from the leave campaign, including Sanni, were “quite frankly marginal characters”. | |
| “I think it is a huge breach of natural justice that they haven’t wanted to listen to our opinions and our story and we were the people running the campaign,” he told Sky News. | “I think it is a huge breach of natural justice that they haven’t wanted to listen to our opinions and our story and we were the people running the campaign,” he told Sky News. |
| Elliott told the BBC he had submitted a 500-page dossier to the Electoral Commission rebutting the claims. | Elliott told the BBC he had submitted a 500-page dossier to the Electoral Commission rebutting the claims. |
| He said he thought Vote Leave had “acted both within the letter of the law and also the spirit of the law”. | He said he thought Vote Leave had “acted both within the letter of the law and also the spirit of the law”. |
| A commission spokesman said: “The commission has concluded its investigation and, having reached initial findings, provided Vote Leave with a 28-day period to make any further or new representations. That period ended on Tuesday 3 July. | A commission spokesman said: “The commission has concluded its investigation and, having reached initial findings, provided Vote Leave with a 28-day period to make any further or new representations. That period ended on Tuesday 3 July. |
| “The unusual step taken by Vote Leave in sharing its views on the Electoral Commission’s initial findings does not affect the process set out in law.” | “The unusual step taken by Vote Leave in sharing its views on the Electoral Commission’s initial findings does not affect the process set out in law.” |
| The environment secretary, Michael Gove, one of the key figures in the Brexit campaign along with the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, said he would not be drawn on the unpublished report because he believed it would be subject to a legal challenge. | |
| “I understand from the interviews Matthew Elliott has given that he vigorously contests some of what has been alleged in that report,” Gove told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “The report itself is going to be challenged legally, and if it is, then if these matters are going through the courts, it would be inappropriate for me, not having read the report, to offer commentary.” | |
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