Police to contact Tory MP Mark Menzies over campaign fund misuse allegations

Keir Starmer earlier called for a police investigation into allegations that campaign funds were misused by the Fylde MP, Mark Menzies, who was also suspended as a government trade envoy to Colombia, Chile, Peru and Argentina.

Lancashire police said that while no complaint had been made they planned to talk to those involved following reports about the MP, who faces claims that he demanded thousands of pounds from an aide to pay off “bad people” in the middle of the night last December.

The chief whip, Simon Hart, passed the matter to his party HQ three months ago after being approached by what sources describe as a “whistleblower”.

According to the Times, Menzies phoned his former campaign manager, now a party volunteer, at 3.15am one night in December saying he was locked in a flat by “some bad people” and needed £5,000 as a matter of “life and death”.

It comes after William Wragg, another MP who has since resigned the Tory whip, claimed he handed over colleagues’ personal numbers to someone who had compromising material on him.

The source close to Menzies told the Times he paid the money because he was afraid of what would happen if he refused, but had insufficient funds in his own savings.