- Mark Menzies is accused of calling an elderly volunteer for a party and demanding £5,000.
- The money was paid by his office manager from her account and repaid with donations.
- Menzies vigorously refutes the accusations made against him and has met with all declaration requirements.
As an MP for the Lancashire seat of Fylde, Mark Menzies is accused of calling an elderly volunteer for a party and requesting £5,000 because it was “life or death” for him since he had been imprisoned by “bad people.”
According to The Times, the money was paid by his office manager from her account and repaid with donations. The publication also claims that Menzies got thousands of pounds in campaign donations and used them for personal medical bills, depositing them into his personal bank account.
Mark Menzies
Menzies vigorously refutes the accusations made against him and has met with all declaration requirements. But as soon as the news surfaced, Menzies was suspended by Conservative top whip Simon Hart from the parliamentary party until an investigation was conducted.
This is a big story because it raises issues of financial abuse and its ramifications in addition to the astounding, eye-popping nature of the accusations.
Ten years ago, when similar allegations concerning their own MP were still simmering, the Conservative Party pursued Angela Rayner over claims—which she disputes—that she did not pay capital gains tax on the sale of her council house. Ruth Davidson, a Conservative peer, believes that with the Conservatives’ 16,000 majority, Menzies will be forced to step down and call a by-election in another seat at risk.
Jess Philips has announced his resignation and will force a by-election due to the party’s desire to avoid holding a by-election, as Labour has experienced half of its 10 largest swings in by-elections in the past 18 months.
Although the premier, Rishi Sunak, has made headway with his smoking ban proposal and landmark Rwanda bill, the party feels fragmented as a result of the Menzies and Liz Truss scandals. Despite making headway in his efforts to reduce smoking and defuse tensions in the Middle East, political unrest has once again cast Sunak in a negative light.
