Fylde MP Mark Menzies has lost the Conservative whip as the party investigates claims of misuse of funds. On Wednesday, The Times published claims Mr Menzies had used political donations to cover medical expenses and pay off "bad people” who had locked him in a flat and demanded thousands of pounds for his release. Labour says the police should investigate the allegations of misused funds. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00 Filed MP Mark Menzies has lost the Conservative whip as the party investigates claims of misuse
00:07 of funds. On Wednesday, the Times published claims Mr
00:11 Menzies had used political donations to cover medical expenses and pay off bad people who
00:18 had locked him in a flat and demanded thousands of pounds for his release.
00:23 Labour says the police should investigate the allegations of misused funds.
00:27 There's a worrying pattern here of cover-up and inaction.
00:32 So can she shed some light? What and when did the Chief Whip, Prime Minister
00:39 and Party Chairman know? Why did it take the publication of the story
00:44 today for the whip to be removed? Has this matter been referred to the police?
00:50 If not, why not?
00:51 These are very serious matters and some of them are under police investigation.
00:56 You wouldn't expect me to comment on that.
00:59 The Tories say it is unfair to characterise this as a party issue.
01:03 Well look, I just think that rather than making it sort of personal, it's right to say that
01:09 in politics, probably as in many other industries, you get individuals or you get individual
01:15 situations where wrong is done or indeed issues of mental health were involved or other things.
01:22 And I don't think there's anything particularly unique.
01:24 I mean, let's remember right now the Deputy Prime Minister of the Labour Party, the shadow
01:29 Deputy Prime Minister, is under investigation by the police.
01:33 According to The Times, £14,000 given by Tory donors for party campaign activities
01:39 was transferred to Mr Menzies' private accounts for private medical expenses.
01:44 The MP is also said to have called his former campaign manager at 3.15am one morning in
01:49 December last year, claiming he had been locked in a flat and needed £5,000 as a matter of
01:56 life and death.
01:58 It's alleged Mr Menzies met a man on an online dating website and ended up in a flat where
02:03 he continued drinking, before several people at the address demanded money.
02:07 According to the paper, a sum of £6,500 was eventually paid using Conservative campaign
02:14 funds.
02:15 In file today, there was sympathy for their MP, but little love for his party.
02:20 To be honest, I've never liked the Tories anyway, but we need a change, a definite change.
02:26 I am surprised because he's done a lot of good work in this area as well, so that is
02:31 a bit of a let down, yes.
02:34 He's always replied to the emails we've sent, immediately, and he's done everything we've
02:38 asked him to do, so he's really a good advocate for us.
02:42 Mr Menzies strongly disputes the allegations put to him.
02:45 Nevertheless, it is another unwelcome development for the Prime Minister, who is facing yet
02:50 another by-election in the neighbouring constituency of Blackpool South next month.
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