The Fylde MP has been suspended from the party whip and dropped as one of the PM's trade envoys. Labour has also pressed for a criminal probe by writing to police.
Lancashire Police have said they will review claims that Tory MP Mark Menzies allegedly misused thousands of pounds of campaign funds to pay off 'bad people' who locked him in a flat.Mr Menzies disputes the allegations and the Tory Party has said it is looking into the claims and takes them seriously.
In a round of interviews this morning, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said it 'remains to be seen' whether police will investigate'He's been suspended from his position as a trade envoy whilst the investigations into those allegations continue. 'But the important point that I'm making is that we are investigating that, and so Conservative HQ is looking now very closely into the circumstances around the various reports that have been made, and the whip has been removed from Mark Menzies in the meantime.'
Sources close to the MP - who disputes the allegations - said he offered to repay the 'ransom' money but was told he did not need to. Tory activist Caroline Sheppard, who seconded Mr Menzies' nomination in 2019, said: 'I think he is disgusting as an individual and for what he put a 78-year-old woman through.Sir Keir said: 'There are obviously a lot of unanswered questions in relation to these allegations, not least why it seems the Conservative Party took so long to act and whether they've reported this to the police, who, it seems to me, should be involved in this.
Mark Menzies pictured with Micky and Minnie Mouse at the St Anne's Carnival in his local Lancashire constituency last year Another senior Fylde Tory, who did not want to be named, said: 'I will not stand by and see a lady who's given 40 years to the party being besmirched by someone trying to save their own skin.'
The source said it was falsely claimed that he had been sick, with money demanded for cleaning up and other purposes. A spokesperson for Chief Whip Simon Hart said Mr Menzies has agreed to give up the Tory whip pending an investigation She has served on the Town Council since 2019 and has taken a full role in local civic life, and is a governor of a local primary school and trustee of a Boys and Girls club.
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