Vote Leave has dropped it’s appeal against electoral offences and a subsequent £61000 fine which it now must pay in full. Somewhat ironically this occurred on the day that Britain was supposed to Leave the European Union.
The fine was issued by the Electoral Commission because it broke legal spending limits by ‘donating’. hundreds of thousands of pounds to Brexiteers Wankpuffin in Chief Darren Grime’s BeLeave campaign.
In a statement issued by the Electoral Commission:
"Vote Leave has today withdrawn its appeal and related proceedings against the Electoral Commission's finding of multiple offences under electoral law, committed during the 2016 EU referendum campaign.
"Vote Leave was the designated lead campaigner for the leave outcome at the referendum.
"We found that it broke the electoral rules set out by Parliament to ensure fairness, confidence and legitimacy at an electoral event. Serious offences such as these undermine public confidence in our system and it is vital, therefore, that they are properly investigated and sanctioned.
"We have been advised that Vote Leave has paid its £61,000 fine and look forward to receiving the sum in full."
Vote Leave responded via The Daily Mirror: "For almost three years, Vote Leave has successfully fought back against numerous allegations and conspiracy theories, spending almost £1m in the process.
"Since July 2018, we have been preparing our appeal against the Electoral Commission's unwarranted and unsubstantiated finding and fines.
"Sadly, we now find ourselves in a position that we do not have the financial resources to carry forward this Appeal, even though we are confident that we would have prevailed on the facts in Court.
"We have therefore regretfully decided to discontinue our appeal."