David Cameron, the former prime minister, during the 2015 general election campaign ReutersThe Conservative Party has been fined £70,000 after an investigation found irregularities in campaign spending at the general election. The party failed to record or incorrectly recorded payments totalling more than £250,000, the Electoral Commission said, as it handed down its largest ever fine. It comes as 12 police forces consider whether to file criminal charges over alleged expenses fraud by the Conservatives in the 2015 election alone. Explaining the sanctions, Sir John Holmes, the chairman of the Electoral Commission, warned that “there is a risk that some political parties might come to view the payment of these fines as a cost of doing business”. The Conservative Party said this morning that it regretted making administrative errors but pointed out that both the Labour Party…

Source: The Times March 16, 2017 09:00 UTC