Former MP David Mackintosh in court over donations made to Northampton South Conservative Association

From Wales Online:

A former Tory MP has appeared in court charged with failing to provide information in relation to political party donations totalling £39,000. David Mackintosh appeared at Northampton Crown Court on Friday, charged with offences allegedly committed under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act.

The offences are said to have taken place in 2014, months after Mackintosh was selected to fight the constituency of Northampton South at the end of the previous year and relate to nine donations. Mackintosh, was first elected as Northampton South MP in 2015, before later announcing he would not contest his seat in the June 2017 General Election.

The 43-year-old, who is also former leader of the now defunct Northampton Borough Council and co-defendant, property developer Howard Grossman, each face two allegations of failing to provide information in relation to donations to a registered political party, Northampton South Conservative Association.

As the report goes on to say, Mackintosh and Grossman were charged at the end of last year following an investigation by Northamptonshire Police. This was triggered by the disappearance of a £10.25m loan made in 2014 by the borough council to the local football club Northampton Town.

The case continues.

Former Tory MP David Mackintosh charged over election donations

BBC News reports that David Mackintosh, the former Conservative MP for Northampton South, has appeared before a court charged with covering up donations to his general election campaign.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and will face trial on October along with four other defendants. Two further people have already pleaded guilty to charges connected with these allegations and received suspended sentences.

The report explains that Mackintosh

is accused of not disclosing the true origin of thousands of pounds of payments to Northampton South Conservative Association in 2014. ...

The prosecutions are the first of their kind under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA).

The charges follow a lengthy police inquiry into the disappearance of £10.25m loaned to Northampton Town Football Club.

And well done to the BBC for challenging the reporting restrictions that were placed on the proceedings against Mackintosh and another defendant. The Crown Prosecution Service has not applied to have them extended.

Mackintosh, a former leader of Northampton Borough Council, sat for Northampton South between 2015 and 2017. He stood down before the 2017 general election in the face of opposition to his reselection among Tory members.

Report on Northampton Borough Council's loan to football club

The long-awaited auditor's report into Northampton Borough Council’s loan to Northampton Town Football Club was published yesterday. You can download it from the council's website.

A BBC News report on the affair begins:

A £10.25m council loan to a football club for use on a stadium redevelopment had "serious failings", a report found.

Northampton Borough Council loaned the money, which has since disappeared, to Northampton Town in 2013 and 2014 to rebuild a stand and develop land.

The Public Interest Report "calls into question the legality" of decision-making over the deal.

For the political background to the loans, I recommend this Twitter thread from Willy Gilder, who used to report local politics for BBC Radio Northampton:

This report makes dismal reading, but few of us who attended @NorthamtonBC Cabinets at the time can be surprised at the criticism that The Leader did the negotiating with NTFC alone, and that no Cabinet members questioned the loan. 1/n https://t.co/01ahpsFAoW

— Willy Gilder (@WillyGilder) January 28, 2021

Commissioners and a police inquiry? Just another day in Northamptonshire politics

On Tuesday evening the Guardian reported that the government is going to send in commissioners to run Northamptonshire Country Council.

The Conservative-run authority issued a section 114 notice at the start of February. This imposed financial controls and banned expenditure on all services except those with statutory safeguarding obligations.

Northamptonshire was the first council to issue such a notice in two decades, but it won't be the last.

The Guardian says the National Audit Office has suggested that up to 15 other councils could follow suit in the next three years.

No doubt mismanagement by the Conservative cabinet played a part, but authorities are having to cope with a rising demand for social care and a 50 per cent cut in central government grants since the Coalition was formed in 2010.

Today came news that David Mackintosh, former Conservative MP for Northampton South and former leader of Northampton Borough Council, was interviewed by police under caution.

The inquiry concerns a £10m loan made by the council to Northampton Town Football Club. As the BBC report says, the funds have "seemingly vanished, leaving an unfinished stand".

There have also been questions about the funding of Mackintosh's campaign when he was elected to parliament at the 2015 general election.

He was obliged to stand down when in became clear that the members of his constituency party did not want him as their candidate in the 2017 election.

Latest news on David Mackintosh and Northampton Town

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You may recall that the sitting MP for Northampton South, David Mackintosh, was obliged to stand down as Conservative candidate shortly after this year's general election was called.

This was because of disquiet in his constituency party over reports about a loan made to Northampton Town F.C. while Mackintosh was leader of the borough council.

BBC East journalists have continued to investigate this affair and their latest story appeared yesterday:

A Conservative MP's general election fund took hidden payments from a developer as a multimillion-pound loan he personally oversaw paid out. 

More than £37,000 was channelled to David Mackintosh's 2015 campaign from 1st Land Ltd, while he was leader of Northampton Borough Council. 

Most of a £10.25m loan he signed off to redevelop Northampton Town FC has vanished and police are investigating. 

After emphasising that Howard Grossman of 1st Land Ltd and David Mackintosh deny any wrongdoing, the report goes on:.

Documents obtained by the BBC show eight people linked to the developer made donations to the Northampton South Conservative Association between April and September 2014. 

During this time Mr Mackintosh was the Conservatives' candidate to contest Northampton South at the 2015 general election - a seat he went on to win. 

At least four of the donors received money from 1st Land Ltd shortly before making their payments.

Two Conservative MPs forced to stand down

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I have blogged several times about David Mackintosh the embattled Conservative MP for Northampton South.

The reasons his position has been under threat are given in this post, though I should emphasise that Mr Mackintosh has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

And recently his constituency party has turned against him.

Last night came the news that Mackintosh has decided to stand down and so will not be fighting the seat on 8 June.

So well done to Northampton South Conservatives for forcing his hand.

Then today we heard that Andrew Turner, the Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight, will not be standing then either.

As the Isle of Wight County Press tells it:

Andrew Turner has stepped down as Isle of Wight MP after an outcry over alleged comments about the LGBTQ community to a group of Christ the King College students earlier today (Friday). 

Mr Turner had been due to be re-selected this afternoon until a decision by the Tories to delay the process to avoid confusion with next week's local elections. 

But he faced mounting pressure to go, after students spoke out about alleged comments made by Mr Turner during an A Level politics class, in which they said he called homosexuality 'dangerous to society' and 'wrong.'

So it looks as though the hounding of Tim Farron over his views on the sinfulness of being gay and of gay sex has netted a victim in the shape of a Tory MP.

I hope the backwoods Tory councillor from round here who took to Twitter to display a hitherto unsuspected interest in the subject of gay sex is happy with this outcome.

Meeting to decide David Mackintosh's future will take place at... Sixfields Stadium

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We knew that, in his effort to be reselected as the Conservative candidate for Northampton South. David Mackintosh MP faced a meeting on 2 May.

There will be a vote on him by his constituency executive that day and, if he loses it, one by the whole membership too.

What we didn't know was the venue of the meeting.

Thanks to the Northampton Chronicle & Echo we now know it will be at the Sixfields Stadium - the home of the town's football club.

Given that it is the controversy over a loan made by the council, while Mackintosh was its leader, to Northampton Town for improvements to the stadium that has led to his difficulties with his own party, there is a pleasing irony in this.

Meanwhile, ITV News quotes a police statement:

A dedicated team of full-time investigators, accountants and analysts‎ continue to independently assess the grant, use and the loss of millions of pounds of public money. 

We are committed to thoroughly and objectively investigating this matter, which includes evaluating and investigating every allegation which may have a bearing on events. 

This is a complex investigation involving multiple allegations and counter allegations and it is important to remember that neither criminal nor financial liability will diminish with time.

It also quotes Mr Mackintosh saying he welcomes the investigation and has done nothing wrong.

David Mackintosh under more pressure in Northampton South

The Northampton Chronicle has the latest on this saga:

A senior Conservative has confirmed she would not support David Mackintosh's bid to run again in June's General Election due to his handling of the Sixfields saga. 

Former Northampton Borough Council leader, Councillor Mary Markham, also confirmed Mr Mackintosh has been summoned to address the Northampton South Conservative Association early next month.  

At that meeting, which will take place on 2 May, Mackintosh could face two votes, If he failed to win the approval of the constituency party's executive committee the question would go to a secret ballot of its members,

The report goes on to give Mary Markham's reasons for not supporting Mackintosh:

Councillor Markham said she would not be supporting him due to the way she says he handled criticism of his involvement in the failed Sixfields loan saga. 

She said: "I urged David Mackintosh publicly some months ago to be more accountable, not just to the association management committee, but to his electorate too. 

"I asked him to answer their questions and be more representative. 

"I haven't seen any evidence of that since," she said.

Elsewhere, Guido Fawkes says two other Conservative MPs may struggle to be reselected: Alan Haselhurst in Saffron Walden and Jack Lopresti in Filton and Bradley Stoke.

Local Tory association fights to prevent its MP standing on 8 June

Natalie Bloomer reports on events in Northampton South:

A Conservative MP has been pitched into a battle with his own local party over whether he can stand in the upcoming general election. 

David Mackintosh, MP for Northampton South, has been heavily criticised for his involvement in the loss of a £10.25 million loan to Northampton Town football club by the local council. 

The loan, which was approved while Mackintosh was the leader of the council, has not been repaid and the work it was intended for has not been carried out. This triggered a series of investigations, including an ongoing one by Northamptonshire police. 

Attempts by the local party to force the MP to resign over the matter were quashed by Tory HQ last December. 

But a senior source from the Northampton South Conservative Association told Politics.co.uk this morning that an emergency meeting is expected to be held next week to discuss if there is a way to prevent Mackintosh from standing again.

I have blogged about David Mackintosh's travails before. In November 2015 I quoted a BBC News report that took us further into this murky affair:

A Conservative MP's local party was given undeclared payments linked to a businessman involved in a stalled stadium development, it has emerged. 

David Mackintosh's party received a £6,195 payment for tickets from Howard Grossman, the director of a company overseeing work at Northampton Town FC. 

Mr Mackintosh was leader of the borough council when it approved a £10.25m loan for the plans. Millions of pounds of the money is currently unaccounted for. 

He declined to comment on the payments.

Mackintosh vs Northampton South Conservative Association looks to be a bout to watch.

David Mackintosh MP under new pressure in Northampton South

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— Northampton Chron (@ChronandEcho) December 1, 2016

I have covered the saga of David Mackintosh (Conservative MP for Northampton South and former leader of the Borough Council) and the town's Sixfields Stadium before.

See these posts from November 2015 and July of this year.

Now comes news that, in the worlds of the Northampton Chronicle & Echo:

Executive committee members of Northampton South Conservative Association say MP David Mackintosh’s role in the bungled Sixfields loan deal and his “refusal to accept criticism” has damaged the reputation of the local party.

Tonight the executive committee of the association is debating this motion:

“The Executive Committee meeting expresses its disappointment and its concerns over the conduct of...David Mackintosh in respect to the loan made whilst Leader of Northampton Borough Council to Northampton Town Football Club and to Mr Mackintosh’s refusal to accept criticism of his conduct contained in the PwC report.”

The paper says Mr Mackintosh has issued a short statement saying: "I am happy to answer any questions the local party might have about the loan."

Yesterday, it also printed the forceful front page you see above.

Electoral Commission passes file on Northampton South to police

Last November I blogged about David Mackintosh, the Conservative MP for Northampton South.

That post quoted a BBC News report:

A Conservative MP's local party was given undeclared payments linked to a businessman involved in a stalled stadium development, it has emerged. 

David Mackintosh's party received a £6,195 payment for tickets from Howard Grossman, the director of a company overseeing work at Northampton Town FC. 

Mr Mackintosh was leader of the borough council when it approved a £10.25m loan for the plans. Millions of pounds of the money is currently unaccounted for. 

He declined to comment on the payments. 

Three individuals with links to Mr Grossman also paid £10,000 into Mr Mackintosh's general election fighting fund, a BBC investigation found. 

The payment to Mr Mackintosh's party from Mr Grossman and one of the donations for £10,000 were not declared to the Electoral Commission.

I went on to say "I suspect this is a story to watch," whereupon it disappeared from the media.

Until this week.

A story on the Northampton Chronicle & Echo website today quotes a spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police:

“Following an initial investigation into election fund donations made in the Northampton South constituency, the Electoral Commission has passed the information to Northamptonshire Police to continue the investigation. 

“The information provided is currently being assessed by specialist investigators alongside thousands of documents obtained in the far-reaching and independent investigation into the lending of £10.25 million to Northampton Town Football Club.”

The paper also reports that David Mackintosh has said on a number of occasons that he welcomes the inquiry into the Sixfields loan and has never considered any of the donations to have come from anyone other than the stated donors.

Meanwhile a new story on BBC News makes things more complicated still:

An MP has accused his former council colleagues of a cover up in a row over a missing £10.25m loan. Northampton Borough Council gave the cash to Northampton Town FC in 2013 to redevelop its Sixfields stadium. 

David Mackintosh MP, who was council leader at the time, said the authority had "wrongly implied" he did not inform colleagues when a whistleblower raised concerns with him about the money. 

The council said it was working with police and had initiated two reviews. 

In June, it emerged Conservative MP Mr Mackintosh had been alerted by a whistleblower to concerns about the money in March 2015, but the council said it had no record that he had passed this on to them. 

He said this was incorrect and that the emails were "immediately passed to senior officers".

I will again risk the observation that this is a story to watch.

David Mackintosh MP and the finances of Northampton Town

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Over the summer the finances of Northampton Town have been in the news.

David Conn wrote a good summary of this byzantine affair in the Guardian at the start of the month:

Put bluntly, there is a huge, grim question over where £10.25m has gone, which was lent to the club by Northampton borough council between September 2013 and August 2014, specifically to pay for improvements to its Sixfields stadium, including a new East Stand.

All that exists in return for so much money are minor works on the west stand, floodlights understood to have cost a little over £100,000, and a shell of a new East Stand for which the developer, Buckingham Group, says it was paid only £442,000, before it downed tools.

Since then the club has been sold to the former Oxford United chairman Kelvin Thomas.

Now it appears that David Mackintosh, Conservative MP for Northampton South and a former leader of the borough council, has been drawn into the mess.

BBC News reports:

A Conservative MP's local party was given undeclared payments linked to a businessman involved in a stalled stadium development, it has emerged. 

David Mackintosh's party received a £6,195 payment for tickets from Howard Grossman, the director of a company overseeing work at Northampton Town FC. 

Mr Mackintosh was leader of the borough council when it approved a £10.25m loan for the plans. Millions of pounds of the money is currently unaccounted for. 

He declined to comment on the payments. 

Three individuals with links to Mr Grossman also paid £10,000 into Mr Mackintosh's general election fighting fund, a BBC investigation found. 

The payment to Mr Mackintosh's party from Mr Grossman and one of the donations for £10,000 were not declared to the Electoral Commission.

The BBC goes on to report a Conservative spokesman as saying "we are looking into the matter".

I suspect this is a story to watch. Already there is a petition in circulation calling on Mackintosh to resign as MP for Northampton South.