Labour calls on Jenrick to give £37,500 campaign donation to charity amid electoral law investigation

Labour has called on Robert Jenrick to give up almost £40,000 donated to his campaign to be Conservative leader in 2024 following allegations that the sum came from an impermissible foreign donor now convicted of fraud. The party called for Jenrick to make a donation to charity after the Guardian revealed the Electoral Commission has been investigating claims that £37,500 out of £100,000 given to his campaign by a UK company Spott Fitness ultimately came from a company run by a US-based businessman, Gary Klopfenstein. The watchdog has also referred evidence to the police to assess whether any electoral laws have been broken. Its inquiries are now paused while the police review the material. The exact scope of the review is unclear and the police have not confirmed whether it relates to any specific individual. They could decide to open an investigation or take no further action. Jenrick said he had no knowledge of whether Klopfenstein was behind any of the contribution, had never been in contact with him and had complied with all electoral laws. He also said he had no knowledge of any police review and said the Conservative party, which has referred Jenrick to the standards commissioner, had checked the permissibility of Spott Fitness as a donor and raised no concerns. However, Labour said that Jenrick, now a Reform UK MP, should hand the £37,500 to charity, given the allegations that it came from a foreign source, especially now the businessman has been convicted of fraud. …