Tory activist ‘appalled’ by party’s response to Mark Menzies claims

The individual who identifies as a Conservative advocate and has lodged allegations against a member of the UK Conservative Party for making a request for money during an unsuitable time of the night has claimed that she is disgusted by the party's reaction.

According to Katie Fieldhouse, Mark Menzies phoned her in December at 3:15 in the morning and requested £5,000 to settle a debt with some unsavory individuals who had confined him in a flat and were preventing him from departing.

The woman stated that the party did not take any action after she informed them about the incident in the beginning of January. Menzies only stepped down from his position after the Times exposed the issue this week.

During an interview with the BBC, Fieldhouse recounted the following event: "Menzies informed me that he had become involved with unsavory individuals who had confined him to a residence. They refused to release him until he provided them with £5,000. I was taken aback by this statement. Menzies expressed that his survival depended on securing the funds from our account."

She expressed her disappointment towards the party as they neglected her accusations for several months even after reporting them to Simon Hart, the chief whip.

She expressed her disappointment by saying that she had full trust in the political organization, but unfortunately, there were no positive outcomes and no response. She was shocked and dismayed. The political party has been an integral part of her life, and she has been involved in every election campaign for the last 40 years. She puts in a lot of effort and dedication towards the party, but the only recognition she receives is that of a 78-year-old elderly woman.

Fieldhouse stated that she did not give Menzies the money he asked for, and a different advocate utilized their individual cash to supply the funds. According to The Times, this secondary advocate was subsequently rewarded from party resources acquired through contributions.

The news article also stated that Menzies, who is the MP for Fylde in Lancashire, had utilized £14,000 from political contributions to cover his personal medical bills.

On Thursday, Menzies stated that he disagrees with the accusations against him. He has followed all declaration regulations appropriately. As an investigation is still in progress, he will not give any further comments.

On Thursday, he stepped down from his Tory position after speaking with Hart. Additionally, he was excluded as a trade envoy to Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Argentina on behalf of the government.

On Friday, Mel Stride, who is in charge of work and pensions, stood up for his party's actions. He declared, "We are thoroughly investigating this matter. I have complete trust that the investigation will be comprehensive... We will find out the truth about what happened."

The Lancashire police are scheduling to get in touch with Menzies and the rest of those implicated in the accusations. However, the police confirmed on Tuesday that they haven't yet received a report about what Menzies may have done.

Menzies is among a group of eight Conservative Members of Parliament who were elected in 2019 and are currently representing themselves as independent members after losing the party's support. Some of their peers have left their positions as MPs altogether, including Peter Bone who was found guilty of sexually harassing a member of staff, and Scott Benton who was found to have attempted to influence government officials in exchange for money.

Fieldhouse urged Menzies to resign from his position as a Member of Parliament during the upcoming election. She stated her desire for him to take responsibility for his actions and begin anew.