The Electoral Commission will investigate whether Momentum spent more than it was legally allowed during the general election campaign.
LONDON — Momentum, the group set up to support Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party, is being investigated by the Electoral Commission for its expenditure during the general election campaign.
The Commission announced on Thursday that it will be investigating whether the left-wing national campaign group breached campaign finance rules in the run-up to the June general election.
The investigation is set to look at:
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whether or not Momentum spent in excess of the spending limits for an unauthorised non-party campaigner in the UK Parliamentary general election.
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whether or not Momentum submitted a return that did not include accurate donation information and/or the required declaration stating that the donation return was complete and accurate.
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whether or not Momentum submitted a return that was not a complete statement of payments made in respect of controlled expenditure.
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whether or not Momentum submitted a return that did not include all invoices for payments of more than £200.
Momentum was set up in 2015 following Corbyn's shock victory in the leadership contest following the resignation of former Labour leader Ed Miliband.
The group currently boasts over 30,000 paying members across nearly 200 branches across the country and has added at least 1,500 since the Labour Party's Autumn conference in September.
Momentum played a major role in supporting the Labour Party in the June 8 general election, especially online, where it social media posts reached millions of people on Facebook and Twitter.
Bob Posner, the Electoral Commission’s Director of Political Finance and Regulation and Legal Counsel, said: "Momentum are a high profile active campaigning body. Questions over their compliance with the campaign finance rules at June’s general election risks causing harm to voters’ confidence in elections.
"There is significant public interest in us investigating Momentum to establish the facts in this matter and whether there have been any offences.
"Once complete, the Commission will decide whether any breaches have occurred and, if so, what further action may be appropriate, in line with its enforcement policy."
The Electoral Commission will investigate whether Momentum spent more than it was legally allowed during the general election campaign. Read Full Story
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