Momentum slapped with record £16,700 fine for multiple electoral law breaches
3 min read
Pro-Jeremy Corbyn campaign group Momentum have been slapped with a record £16,700 fine for multiple breaches of election rules.
The organisation was handed the highest-ever incorrect returns fine for a non-party campaign group after the Electoral Commission found they had failed to submit documents accurately or properly register donations worth tens of thousands of pounds.
The watchdog fined the group £12,150 for failing to properly account for their spending during the 2017 snap general election.
Further fines totalling £3,200 were levied for incorrectly registering almost £23,000 worth of donations as well as failing to provide receipts and invoices for their spending return.
Louise Edwards, director of regulation at the Electoral Commission, said: “Non-party campaigners are essential for a healthy democracy. But just as crucial is that after a poll, voters can see complete and accurate spending data. The fines that we have levied reflect Momentum’s repeated revisions to their spending return, poor record keeping and failure to follow advice given by the Commission prior to the election.”
But Momentum spokesperson Laura Parker said complying fully with the regulations had been a “herculean task” for the organisation.
“The Electoral Commission did find some mistakes in our reporting and some clerical errors," she said in a statement.
"This isn’t surprising for a new organisation which at the time was less than two years old and had 25,000 members and 150 local groups.
"The Conservatives likely employ more lawyers than Momentum have staff, and even getting close to fully complying with these complex regulations for a volunteer led, social movement organisation is a herculean task.
“For example, the law back dates regulations to a year before election day. This means organisations running campaigns in that period can be fined or even prosecuted. In the snap election, this left us in the absurd situation of asking volunteers in local groups to submit receipts for booking community halls and buying refreshments a year before polling day.
"All for a snap election they did not know was going to take place, in an effort to comply with regulations they did not know they would be subject to."
'DISAPPOINTING'
The left-wing campaign group was also fined a further £1,350 for failing to correctly register two donations totalling £18,000 from union the Transport Salaried Staffs Association
The Electoral Commission said: "Non-party campaigners that seek to persuade people to vote a certain way rightly have legal obligations; it is incumbent on them properly in having the right processes and staff to meet their obligations.
"Momentum is unlike most non-party campaigners in that political campaigning is its full-time work, so it is particularly disappointing they have failed to meet the law’s requirements."
But Ms Parker hit out at the watchdog for requiring what she called a "comic" level of detail - and revealed that the group would be launching a fundraising drive to help pay off the "harsh" fines.
“In one instance, the Electoral Commission queried the purchase of a pizza, wanting to know what percentage of the pizza was eaten by staff members and what percentage by volunteers,” she said.
Ms Parker added: “We also believe the fines levelled are disproportionate. The fines and associated staff time will cost Momentum more than our entire regulated campaign spend during the election. Not only did Momentum cooperate fully with the Electoral Commission, but these offences are incredibly minor when compared with other political organisations."
But she said: "We won’t make these mistakes again. In accordance with the wishes of the Electoral Commission, we have put in place comprehensive systems and processes so we can fully adhere to the regulations next time and be ready for an election if it’s called tomorrow.”
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