Tory MP resigns after demanding £6,500 to pay off ‘bad people’
'We do believe that there has been a pattern of behaviour that falls below the standards expected of MPs.'
A Conservative MP has resigned after an investigation found ‘a pattern of behaviour that falls below the standards expected of MPs’.
Mark Menzies had been suspended from the Tory party earlier this week after a report in The Times claimed he misused thousands of pounds of campaign funds.
He reportedly made a phone call at 3.15am to a party volunteer saying he desperately needed £6,500 because ‘bad people’ had ‘locked him in a flat’, claiming it was ‘a matter of life and death’.
A source close to Mr Menzies, who represents Fylde in Lancashire, said he had gone to a flat belonging to a man he had met on an online dating website, before making his way to a second address with a different man and drinking more there.
Several people then demanded the money after falsely accusing him of being sick, saying they needed it for cleaning expenses.
The sum was paid over to him by his office manager Shirley Green, who cashed in her savings and was later reimbursed from funds raised from party donors.
He had also been accused of misusing £14,000 of political donations to cover his private medical expenses.
Mr Menzies disputes the allegations.
The Conservatives said the party was investigating potential misuse of party funds, but today the MP announced he has left the Tories and will step down at the next election.
In a statement he said: ‘It has been an enormous privilege representing the people of Fylde since 2010, but due to the pressures on myself and my elderly mother, I have decided to resign from the Conservative Party and will not stand at the forthcoming general election.
‘This has been a very difficult week for me and I request that my family’s privacy is respected.’
In response, a Tory party spokesperson said: ‘The Conservative party has now completed its investigation into whether there was a misuse of Conservative party funds.
‘The money in question that was sent to Mark Menzies MP was signed off by the two signatories of Fylde Westminster group.
‘This body sits outside of the remit of both the Conservative party and Fylde Conservative Association. Therefore we cannot conclude that there has been a misuse of Conservative party funds.
‘However, we do believe that there has been a pattern of behaviour that falls below the standards expected of MPs and individuals looking after donations to local campaign funds which lie outside the direct jurisdiction of the Conservative party.
‘We will therefore be commencing with retraining individuals across the party on how to manage these accounts, and are introducing a whistleblowing helpline.
‘There has also been a recommendation that the actions of the MP in question may have also potentially breached the Nolan principles of public life.
‘This is due to the nature of the allegations made, but also the repetitive nature of these separate allegations.
‘We will of course share any information with the police if they believe it would be helpful to any investigation they decide to undertake.’
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