Essex Police have confirmed they will not launch a formal investigation into allegations that Reform UK overspent on leader Nigel Farage's general election campaign in Clacton last year. The force stated the claims fall outside the legal time limit for prosecution.
The Allegations and the Time Limit
The decision follows a report submitted to police by Richard Everett, a former Reform councillor and member of Mr Farage's campaign team. Mr Everett, who defected from the Conservatives, provided documents alleging the party exceeded the strict £20,660 spending limit for the Essex constituency during the July 2024 election.
He claimed undeclared expenditure on items like leaflets, banners, utility bills, and the refurbishment of a campaign office bar would have pushed the total over the legal cap. Mr Everett estimated the overspend was around £9,000, though he stated Mr Farage was 'blissfully unaware' of the omissions.
In a statement, Essex Police said: 'We have assessed a report relating to an allegation around misreported expenditure... Having regard to the Representation of the People Act 1983, which states any prosecution for such an offence must commence within one year, it has been concluded that this report falls outside of the stated statutory time limit, and no investigation can take place.' The report was made on 5 December 2024.
Reform's Denial and Electoral Commission Review
Reform UK has strongly denied breaking electoral law. A party spokesman previously dismissed the claims as coming from a 'disgruntled former councillor', noting Mr Everett was expelled from the party several months ago. The party said it looked forward to clearing its name.
Separately, the Electoral Commission responded to correspondence from Labour MP Anna Turley regarding the party's national expenditure. A spokesperson stated: 'After carefully considering the information presented in the letter, we did not identify any expenditure relating to Mr Farage's election campaign in Clacton that should have been declared in Reform UK's national expenditure.'
Context of Election Spending Rules
Campaign spending is highly regulated under UK law, with separate limits for national parties and individual candidates. While national parties have higher caps, they are restricted from directly promoting a specific candidate using photographs or local area names in materials funded from the national budget.
Mr Everett's role had included monitoring election expenses for the Clacton campaign. He has since left Reform UK and now sits as an Independent councillor.
