Vote Leave accused of breaking campaign spending limits during EU referendum
4 min read
Vote Leave broke strict spending limits during the EU referendum campaign by funnelling cash to another pro-Brexit group, a whistleblower has claimed.
Shahmir Sanni, who was initially a volunteer for the group headed up by the likes of Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, said the result of the referendum "wasn't legitimate" as a result.
Mr Sanni also accuses Stephen Parkinson, who was a senior Vote Leave official and is now Theresa May's political secretary, of knowing that the BeLeave campaign group was being used to bend the rules.
Under electoral law, the officially designated referendum campaign groups - including Vote Leave - were only allowed to spend £7 million in the run-up to the referendum.
Other groups could spend a maximum of £700,000 each if they registered as permitted participants, so long as they were independent of the designated campaigns.
But speaking to Channel Four and The Observer, Mr Sanni said Mr Parkinson told him to move from Vote Leave to BeLeave during the referendum. However, he said he continued to report to Mr Parkinson.
"There was no time where anything BeLeave did didn’t go through Stephen,” he said. “Any sort of article that I posted or an article that I wrote, I would run it through Stephen. I would say ‘is this OK?’.”
In the last ten days of the campaign, Vote Leave donated a total of £625,000 to BeLeave boss Darren Grimes, and the money went directly to Canadian data firm Aggregate IQ (AIQ).
Mr Sanni said: "I know that, that Vote Leave cheated… I know that, that people have been lied to and that the referendum wasn't legitimate.
"Leaving the European Union, I agree with. But I don't agree with losing what it means to be British in that process; losing what it means to follow the rules; losing what it means to be quite literally a functioning democracy.”
He added: "In effect they used BeLeave to over-spend, and not just by a small amount… almost two thirds of a million pounds makes all the difference and it wasn’t legal.
"They say that it wasn’t coordinated, but it was. And so the idea that… the campaign was legitimate is false."
Mar Parkinson - who has revealed he and Mr Sanni were in a relationship for 18 months during the referendum campaign - has denied the allegations.
He said: "At the relevant time during the referendum period, the (Electoral) Commission advised Vote Leave that it was permissible to make a donation in the way it proposed to do to BeLeave.
"Twice since the referendum the Commission has investigated this matter, and twice it has found no evidence of wrongdoing. A third investigation into the same issue is currently taking place.
"The Electoral Commission has not contacted me in relation to any of these inquiries, but I will of course be happy to assist in them if they wish me to do so.
"I firmly deny the allegations in the programme. I had no responsibility for digital campaigning or donations on the Vote Leave campaign, and am confident that I stayed within the law and strict spending rules at all times."
Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, of the pro-EU Best for Britain group, said: "Best for Britain and MPs like me are shocked and stunned by the news.
"This is bigger than Brexit and we'll be studying the evidence published closely and pushing the government for a clear and unambiguous response that focuses on safeguarding our democracy."
A solicitor for Vote Leave told Channel 4: “Vote Leave has twice been cleared on this matter by the Electoral Commission. There are a number of new accusations and allegations being made in what you have sent us.
"While many of them seem irrelevant or trivial, some are serious and potentially damaging to the reputations of those caught up in those allegations. As has been the case throughout, Vote Leave is obligated to review - to the extent it can after this long elapsed period since the referendum - all such allegations, and is doing so. We will as appropriate share any relevant findings with the Electoral Commission, again as we have always done."
Darren Grimes denies all the allegations.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
