Ukip suspends member over expenses claim

Guardian News and Media/LondonUkip has suspended another MEP, Janice Atkinson, one of its highest-profile female parliamentary candidates, over allegations of a “serious financial nature”. The decision to withdraw the whip from Atkinson comes less than two months after Ukip suspended Amjad Bashir , also an MEP, over financial matters just before he defected to the Conservative party. He strongly denied any wrongdoing.The party did not disclose the exact reasons for the suspension of Atkinson, its candidate for MP in Folkestone and Hythe in Kent , but it is understood to be related to video footage obtained by the Sun newspaper.In an article on the paper’s website, it said it had secretly filmed a member of Atkinson’s staff “apparently plotting to make a substantial bogus expenses claim”. The claim allegedly related to a lunch costing £950 attended by a number of senior Ukip figures during the party’s spring conference in Margate.The Sun said it had filmed a staff member of Atkinson’s asking for and then accepting an invoice for £3,150 at the restaurant the next day. The newspaper said this would have allowed Atkinson’s office to claim the higher total on expenses from a group funded by the European parliament to boost Ukip’s finances. The Sun said it had passed on details of the incident to Kent police. Atkinson has not immediately responded to requests for comment. “I was deeply shocked when I saw it. This was one of the most incredibly stupid and dishonest things I’ve ever seen in my life,” Ukip leader Nigel Farage told LBC radio.A Ukip spokesman said: “The party is incredibly disappointed with Atkinson, who appears to have exercised extremely poor judgment in acting in a way that the party has never, and would never condone. The party has acted swiftly and immediately, and just as we showed when we suspended another MEP for financial irregularities, we always maintain a zero tolerance attitude towards acts of this nature.” A senior Ukip source said the party was “absolutely aghast” at what is alleged to have happened, especially given that it is just 48 days away from an election. The source said it was possible that Diane James, the Ukip MEP who recently stood down as a candidate for family reasons, could be drafted back in to stand in Folkestone, which is considered an important seat for the party. The MEP has previously been criticised and forced to apologise for referring to a Thai constituent as a “ting-tong”.Ukip leader Nigel Farage stood by her on that occasion, saying it was a mistake and apologising to the woman, Fa Munday, in person.On this occasion, Farage told KentOnline that the suspension was related to “quite a serious allegation that a receipt that was submitted was not all it should have been”.Shortly afterwards, Ukip said it had suspended a second party member over an unrelated workplace incident. A Ukip statement said they were conducting an investigation into Stephen Howd, who had been due to stand for election in northern England. Howd could not be reached at his workplace for comment.