NO criminal charges are to be brought against the former MP for North Cornwall following police investigations into the 2015 General Election accounts.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPR) decided it was ‘not in the public interest’ for charges to be brought against the Conservatives, including parliamentary candidate Scott Mann, following the election expenses allegations made following the General Election in 2015.

Nick Vamos, CPR head of special crime, said there was ‘insufficient evidence to prove to the criminal standard that any candidate or agent was dishonest’.

During investigations the CPR considered whether the candidates and election agents working in constituencies that were visited by the party’s ‘Battle Bus’ committed a criminal offence when they neglected to declare expenditure on their local returns — the party recorded these costs as national expenditure instead.

Mr Vamos said: “We reviewed the files in accordance with the Code of Crown Prosecutors and have concluded the tests in the Code are not met and no criminal charges have been authorised.”

The ‘Representation of the People Act’ requires every candidate and agent to sign a declaration on expenses returns that ‘to the best of their knowledge and belief it is a complete and correct return as required by law’.

If these documents had been falsely declared the party and those involved would have been committing a criminal offence.

Mr Vamos said: “In order to bring a charge, it must be proved that a suspect know the return was inaccurate and acted dishonestly in signing the declaration. Although there is evidence to suggest the returns may have been inaccurate, there is sufficient evidence to prove to the criminal standard that any candidate or agent was dishonest.

He said that the Act also makes it a ‘technical offence’ if an election agent fails to deliver a true return. He added: “By omitting any ‘Battle Bus’ costs, the returns may have been inaccurate. However, it is clear agents were told by Conservative party headquarters that the costs were part of the national campaign and it would not be possible to prove any agent acted knowingly or dishonestly. Therefore we have concluded it is not in the public interest to charge anyone referred to us with this offence.”

In response to the Crown Prosecution Service’s announcement that no criminal charges were to be brought against him and his party, Mr Mann said: “Last Wednesday’s [May 10] announcement from the Crown Prosecution Service confirms what those involved in the 2015 campaign have known all along; that the election expenses were declared correctly and truthfully.

“I know that I acted honestly and I’m very pleased this fact is reinforced by the CPS’ decision. I am enthusiastic to get on with the job of campaigning in the North Cornwall constituency for re-election and helping to return Theresa May to No. 10.

“I would also like to thank the police for carrying out their duty in a professional and thorough way.”

- Also standing in the North Cornwall Constitenncy — John Allman (Christian People’s Alliance); Joy Bassett (Labour Party), Robert Hawkins (Socialist Labour Party), Dan Rogerson (Liberal Democrats).