Tory MP Mark Menzies suspended over alleged misuse of campaign funds

A Conservative Party member of parliament has had their membership temporarily removed for inappropriately using funds allocated for their campaign. This followed allegations that they called someone rather late in the evening to request assistance in paying off individuals who were problematic.

According to the Times, a Member of Parliament phoned a senior party supporter at 3:15 in the morning. The MP informed them that they were trapped in an apartment and desperately needed £5000 immediately or their life would be in peril.

His membership in the Conservative party has been put on hold as the party conducts an investigation.

According to the Times, Mr Menzies, who is a representative for Fylde in Lancashire, expressed his disagreement with the accusations, stating that he "vigorously disagreed" with them.

The newspaper reported that Mr. Menzies gave a call to his former campaign manager, who is now 78 years old, in December last year requesting for a sum of £5,000.

According to the article, the amount was paid at a later time during that morning, and it had increased to £6,500. The source of this payment was from the personal savings account of Mr Menzies' office manager. The campaign donations were used to reimburse the manager for this expense.

Someone who knows Mr. Menzies well informed The Times that he gave the money due to his fear of the potential consequences that he could face if he rejected the request. He also revealed that Mr. Menzies lacked sufficient funds in his personal savings to comply.

According to a source, Mr. Menzies proposed to return the money but allegedly said that the local Conservative party managing the account had informed him that it was unnecessary.

According to The Times, Mr Menzies called his previous campaign manager in the past requesting £3,000 from the campaign revenue in order to pay for medical expenses. He committed to reimbursing the amount at a later time.

According to a report, an insider who is familiar with Mr. Menzies contradicted the accusation that he recommended using campaign finances to cover his medical expenses.

According to the article, it is believed that the Member of Parliament was given an additional £4,000 at a later point in time. Then, in November of the previous year, it is reported that they received another sum of £7,000.

The Times reported that Mr. Menzies did not repay any of the £14,000 he was given to pay for medical expenses.

According to the article, the Conservative Party was informed of the accusations back in January, when the ex-campaign manager notified Simon Hart, the chief whip, of the incident.

BBC News has tried to reach out to Mr Menzies to get his comment, but he has not responded yet.

Mr. Menzies declared that he does not agree with the accusations put forth against him. He confirmed that he has followed all the regulations concerning declarations.

"I cannot provide any additional comments as there is a current investigation taking place."

A representative of the Conservative Party stated that they are currently looking into accusations regarding one of their parliament members. They emphasized that such investigations are properly kept confidential.

Someone speaking on behalf of Mr. Hart informed the BBC that "After having a phone conversation with the chief whip, Mark Menzies has decided to give up his affiliation with the Conservative Party temporarily, until the investigation concludes."

Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, has confirmed that the Conservative Party has been informed of certain accusations against Mark Menzies for quite some time.

During the BBC Radio 4's Today show, he stated that he was under the impression that more details became known yesterday. He wasn't sure if it was due to the report in The Times or some other source. He claimed that these new details were the reason that the whip was revoked.

When questioned about the conduct of Conservative Members of Parliament, Mr. Shapps stated that there are always individuals who may act inappropriately, but it is vital to take immediate action. However, mental health can play a role in some of these instances, so it is essential to get these individuals the help they need to lead a better life.

If an MP loses the whip, they are basically kicked out of their parliamentary party. This means they have to sit independently unless they're given the whip back.