Mark Menzies quits the Tories and says he will stand down at the general ... trends now
View
comments
Fylde MP Mark Menzies today announced he has quit the Conservatives and will not be seeking re-election to the House of Commons at the general election.
The 52-year-old said it had been a 'very difficult week' following claims he used political donations to pay off 'bad people' who had locked him in a flat.
He pointed to 'pressures on myself and my elderly mother' for his decision to resign from the Tories and stand down from Parliament in the near future.
Mr Menzies had already lost the Conservative whip and been suspended as one of PM Rishi Sunak's trade envoys following lurid newspaper allegations.
Fylde MP Mark Menzies today announced he has quit the Conservatives and will not be seeking re-election to the House of Commons at the general election
This included claims he 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.
Mr Menzies disputes the allegations and the party said it had been looking into the claims for 'several months' and took them seriously.
The Tories this afternoon said an investigation had found 'a pattern of behaviour that falls below the standards expected of MPs'.
'The Conservative Party has now completed its investigation into whether there was a misuse of Conservative Party funds,' a statement said.
'The money in question that was sent to Mark Menzies MP was signed off by the two signatories of Fylde
