By Abdul Tukur

A Conservative candidate standing for re-election in South Thanet has been charged with allegedly breaching election rules.

The Crown Prosecution Service, CPS, announced on Friday that Craig Mackinlay, 50, who defeated Nigel Farage in the 2015 election, was charged with offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983, days before voters go to poll.

The 50-year-old, accused of filing costs for hotels and battle bus visits to constituencies as national spending rather than local expenses, denied the allegations.

Mr Mackinlay along with two of his aides – Nathan Gray, 28 and Marion Little, 62, are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 4 July 2017.

The CPS which has been investigating “expenditure during the 2015 General Election campaign concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to authorise charges against (the) three people.”

Nick Vamos, CPS Head of Special Crime said: “Criminal proceedings have now commenced and it is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

Following today’s announcement by the CPS, a Conservative Party spokesman said: “We continue to believe that this remaining allegation is unfounded. Our candidate has made clear that there was no intention by him or his campaigners to engage in any inappropriate activity.”We believe that they have done nothing wrong, and we are confident that this will be proven as the matter progresses. The individuals remain innocent unless otherwise proven guilty in a court of law.”

Meanwhile, the leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn has said the Tories’ comment on the issue can be seen as them trying to interfere in an independent judicial process.

“Nobody should be commenting on the details of an ongoing case, he said.

“The police must be allowed to act independently, to investigate on the basis of any evidence they’ve got and the Crown Prosecution Service must be allowed to make its decision on whether to proceed on a case.

“I think it is a very bad road when democratically elected politicians start offering a running commentary on independent judicial processes. We have to have total separation of political and judicial powers in this country.”