Sunday 15 June 2014

How many more financial skeletons in UKIP's closet?

I was away in France so I did not find out the details of Farage's failure to declare a benefit in kind of £200 k as he was required to do under electoral law. Link below is to the Daily Mail story but all the papers ran it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2656482/Nigel-Farage-facing-20-000-fine-election-watchdog-probes-failure-declare-200-000-worth-donations-party-2001.html

I was kicked off my elected position on UKIP's NEC over 5 years ago for asking questions about UKIP's finances compliannce with electoral law. The Mail story covers the last 10 years so includes my period on UKIP NEC. I was concerned as along with the other elected members I carried unlimited joint and several responsibility arising from any UKIP failure to comply with electoral law. Farage and the cabal had not realised this so I was amused to see the haste they moved to a limited liablity company after I had been kicked off.

A breech of electoral law is a criminal not a civil offence so even a limited liablity does not confer safety from personal responsibility. I felt I had only started to scratch the surface of this mess when I was kicked off the NEC by the cabal. It is now clear that the Electoral Commission and the press corps are going to take a great interest in UKIP's financial past in the run up to next year's General Election. What was a fringe party 5 years ago is now seen as a threat to the UK political establishment who will react viciciously. Can UKIP withstand such scrutiny? I doubt it.

What about all these new MEPs of Farage's new model professional party? Are their pasts squeeky clean? Will they be able to withstand the lure of EU lucre. Remember Farage has been on the EU payroll, salary and allowances these last 15 years and will have a large EU pension to comfort him in his retirement but not all will be so well provided for. Beans will be spilt eventually.

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