The Conservative party is facing a predicament after allegations that a sitting MP for Fylde, Mark Menzies, had abused his position, seeking to access the party funds for personal use. The party has suspended Mr Menzies, although he remains under investigation. The allegations were published in The Times newspaper. A separate article suggests that Mr Menzies had used £14,000 from the campaign funds to settle unspecified medical bills. A source close to Mr Menzies denies that it had been his suggestion to use the funds for this purpose. In his defence, Mr Menzies said he did not misappropriate party funds and dismissed all the allegations.
Initially, the media did not report the name of the person at the centre of events, but she has since agreed to be named and make public comments. Katie Fieldhouse, a lifelong Tory activist and constituent of Mr Menzies in St Anne’s, Lancashire, has accused Mr Menzies of being part of a criminal enterprise which threatened him with physical harm and demanded he safeguarded funds, despite them belonging to the party. According to Ms Fieldhouse, Mr Menzies sought help late at night when the alleged crime was taking place. He told Ms Fieldhouse he was being held in a flat and would not be able to leave until he raised £5000 to pay the “bad people”. Ms Fieldhouse declined to assist Mr Menzies but alleges that another party activist did so from his personal savings.
Ms Fieldhouse claims she approached Chief Whip Simon Hart with her concerns. However, she has expressed disappointment in the manner the Conservative Party has handled the matter. The BBC reports that Ms Fieldhouse is a multi-generational faithful supporter of the Conservative Party and thinks that Mr Menzies should resign from the position he currently occupies.
The Times cite a source, which suggests that Mr Menzies offered to repay the money that he borrowed, but local Tory officials who oversaw the account refused, claiming such reimbursement was not necessary. Having won his recently contested seat in 2017 with a majority of over 16,000, Mr Menzies was selected to sit as the Tory candidate in the next election. In light of recent events, it is uncertain if Menzies will remain as the selection of the party or if they will withdraw his candidacy
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