Electoral fraud allegations ‘could be political corruption of highest order’

Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the unveiling of the Conservative Party battlebus in Greater Manchester. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire. - Credit: PA

The Labour Party chairman has claimed that claims that the Tories offered peerages to Brexit Party figures could amount of ‘political corruption of the highest order’.

Ian Lavery said the claims that the Conservatives offered Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage and his colleagues seats in the House of Lords in return for standing aside in the general election are an “absolute outrage”.

It comes as Scotland Yard said it was “assessing” the allegations after former Labour lord chancellor Lord Falconer wrote to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and Director of Public Prosecutions calling for a probe into what he said were “exceptionally serious allegations”.

In an interview Lavery said: “I think it’s unbelievable what’s happened here. It really is.

“If what Nigel Farage suggests is true, that Brexit Party members have been approached by senior Conservatives asking to step down with the result being peerages, what state of affairs is our politics in? It’s an absolute outrage.

“This could be political corruption of the highest order and in addition to that it could be seen as criminal activity. This cannot be accepted.

“There should be undoubtedly an investigation into the situation.”

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson also hit out at the allegations.

She told PA: “Nothing would surprise me about the Conservatives these days given what they’ve been prepared to do.

“If Boris Johnson’s prepared to lie to the Queen, lie to the country, you know, I’m going to stop being shocked at where his lack of boundaries lies.”