BREXIT AT RISK? Tories could LOSE majority if by-elections are held, Galloway says
George Galloway expressed concerns that allegations about Tory election spending could trigger a wave of by-elections and de-rail the Brexit process.
Galloway: What happens to Brexit if Tories lose their majority?
The radio host and former Labour Party MP took a swipe at the Government on talkRADIO, as he said the fall out of the investigation could be by-elections, which could cost the Tories their majority in the House of Commons.
Last week it emerged the Conservative Party had been fined a record £70,000 by the Electoral Commission for failing to accurately report its election expenses.
The independent elections watchdog said the party had made "numerous failures" in reporting its expenses for the 2015 General Election and three by-elections in 2014.
As the news emerged, it was also revealed a dozen police forces have sent files to the Crown Prosecution Service as part of a probe into the Conservatives' 2015 election expenses.
At least two Tory MPs have been quizzed by police investigating whether election finance laws were broken.
The news came just days before Theresa May announced she would start the process of taking the UK out of the European Union on March 29 by triggering Article 50.
Questioning what would happen to Brexit if the Government loses its majority in the lower chamber, Galloway told his listeners: “No fewer than 12 police forces have now submitted reports to the public prosecuting authorities on the allegations that in specific constituencies.
“At least two MPs have revealed that they were questioned under caution by the police for many hours last week. That report to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will have to be acted upon.
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What happens to Brexit? 2017 will be a very interesting year
“Will these members of Parliament have to vacate their seats in the House of Commons?”
The former Labour MP suggested vacating the seats could lead to a defeat for Mrs May’s party and even a change of government at a crucial time in the EU exit negotiations.
“If they do the Tories no longer have a majority,” Galloway said. “In fact, they’ll be in quite a distinct minority which will change everything in Britain at least until the by-elections have been held. If those by-elections are held will the Conservative Party manage to hold the seats?
"And if they do not manage to hold the seats, well, we’ve got a change of government, at least the possibility of a new coalition emerging that doesn’t involve the Tories.
"If that happens, what happens to Article 50? What happens to Brexit? 2017 will be a very interesting year."
Last week, Electoral Commission chairman Sir John Holmes said the Tories' failure to follow the rules "undermined voters' confidence in our democratic processes" and said there was a risk political parties were seeing such fines as "a cost of doing business".
He said: "Our investigation uncovered numerous failures by a large, well-resourced and experienced party to ensure that accurate records of spending were maintained and that all of the party's spending was reported correctly.
"The rules established by Parliament for political parties and their finances are there to ensure transparency and accountability.
"Where the rules are not followed, it undermines voters' confidence in our democratic processes, which is why political parties need to take their responsibilities under the legislation seriously."