A Conservative MP has been suspended by the parliamentary party while it investigates newspaper claims he misused campaign funds.
Mark Menzies is alleged to have used thousands of pounds given by donors to fund medical expenses and to have made a late-night call to an elderly aide asking for help because he had been locked up by "bad people" demanding money for his release, according to The Times.
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The MP for Fylde in Lancashire, who was one of Rishi Sunak's trade envoys, disputes the allegations but the Conservative Party said it is taking them "seriously" and "will always investigate matters put to them".
The party's chief whip Simon Hart is said to have been made aware of the claims in January, when the former campaign manager reported what had happened.
Sky News understands there has been an investigation ongoing by Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) since the allegations were first raised but further information came to light yesterday and Mr Hart acted immediately.
A spokesperson for the chief whip said: "Following a call with the chief whip, Mark Menzies has agreed to relinquish the Conservative whip, pending the outcome of an investigation."
Losing the whip means Mr Menzies is no longer a member of the Conservative parliamentary party and will sit as an independent MP, rather than a Tory MP, in the House of Commons.
Sky News understands that as of yesterday, Mr Menzies is also no longer a trade envoy, which was a voluntary position.
In a statement to The Times, Mr Menzies said: "I strongly dispute the allegations put to me. I have fully complied with all the rules for declarations. As there is an investigation ongoing I will not be commenting further."
A spokesman for the Tories said: "The Conservative Party is investigating allegations made regarding a member of parliament. This process is rightfully confidential.
"The party takes all allegations seriously and will always investigate any matters put to them."
What has been alleged in The Times?
Mr Menzies, who has served as an MP since May 2010, is reported to have phoned his 78-year-old former campaign manager at 3.15am last December, saying he was locked in a flat by "bad people" and needed £5,000 as a matter of "life and death".
The sum, which rose to £6,500, was eventually paid by his office manager from her personal bank account and subsequently reimbursed from funds raised from donors in an account named Fylde Westminster Group, the newspaper says.
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According to a source close to Mr Menzies, he decided to pay them because he was scared of what would happen otherwise, but did not have the funds to transfer the money from his own savings.
There are other occasions where Mr Menzies allegedly used money from the campaign fund to cover his personal expenses.
In 2020, he reportedly sought £3,000 to cover medical bills, but he did not repay the money and instead asked for and received a further £4,000.
The newspaper said a source close to the MP disputed this account, and that it had not been Mr Menzies's suggestion to use campaign funds to pay his medical bills.
A further £7,000 was received by Mr Menzies from the account in November, it is claimed.
None of the money said to have been transferred to Mr Menzies to cover medical expenses - £14,000 in total - was repaid, according to The Times.
Labour said the "extraordinary" allegations raised "very serious questions" and warranted a police investigation.
Sky News has contacted Mr Menzies for comment.
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Sleaze allegations 'not specific to one party'
Mr Menzies is the latest Tory MP to lose the whip over allegations of wrongdoing.
In the nearby constituency of Blackpool South, Scott Benton was suspended over his role in a lobbying sting, while in Wellingborough, Peter Bone was found by parliament to have subjected a staff member to bullying and sexual misconduct.
Both denied any wrongdoing.
In Tamworth, Chris Pincher faced groping allegations, with the former housing minister later saying he would seek "professional medical support" - and last week, William Wragg, MP for Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester, also gave up the whip after he admitted to The Times he had given his colleagues' phone numbers to someone he met on a dating app.
Be the first to get Breaking News Install the Sky News app for freeDefence Secretary Grant Shapps rejected the suggestion that a thread can be drawn between the cases, telling Sky News: "There are MPs from other parties that have experienced similar problems or misdemeanours and it is right that there are processes in place."
He said he was "not privy to the information" in the latest news report but that "clearly there is something to be investigated here, and so it is correct and appropriate that in the meantime the whip is removed".
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said on Wednesday it was "frankly appalling" that the Conservative Party had allegedly been aware of the claims for more than three months.
"Rishi Sunak must suspend the whip for Mark Menzies immediately, while all the relevant authorities investigate the matter," she said.
