MPs may face 2015 election spending charges before general election
Decisions on who faces charges for breaking spending rules will only be made in late May and early June, days before the election.
Wednesday 19 April 2017 14:15, UK
MPs are among more than 30 people who will find out if they will be charged with breaching 2015 election spending rules just days before this General Election.
Some 14 police forces have sent files to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over the past few months with decisions on charges due to be made in late May and early June.
The election is planned for 8 June.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman told Sky News the snap general election would have no impact on legal proceedings.
The exact deadlines for decisions vary from police area to police area, depending on the date last year they sought a year-long extension for investigations.
Each file relates to allegations concerning a candidate and an election agent and the number of people involved totals at least 30, a CPS spokesman said.
The allegations relate to busloads of Conservative activists sent to key seats whose expenses were reported as part of national campaign spend, rather than falling within the lower constituency limits.
The CPS said files had been received from the Metropolitan Police, as well as forces in Avon and Somerset, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, West Mercia, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire.
UKIP leader Paul Nuttall on Tuesday suggested Theresa May's election announcement may have been motivated in part to avoid possible by-elections.
Mr Nuttall said: "There is also the prospect of a slew of Tory-held by-elections caused by the seeming systematic breach of electoral law at the last election, predominantly in places where UKIP were pressing the Conservatives hard."
The Prime Minister was tackled over the electoral expenses issue during the debate at Westminster on her call to hold an early poll on 8 June.
SNP MP Stewart McDonald said: "Doesn't it take some brass neck to call a General Election when you are facing allegations of buying the last one?"
Responding, Mrs May said: "I have to say that intervention was not worthy of him."
Referring to the criticism of the PM's "dithering" on holding an election, Labour MP Robert Flello said: "Isn't the reality that what has focused her mind is the fact that she may well lose some of her backbenchers if the CPS have their way?"
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn added: "The timing of the election and the role of the CPS is of course extremely interesting in this and it's interesting the Prime Minister did not mention it during her contribution."