Report on an investigation in respect of the Leave.EU Group Limited Concerning pre-poll transaction reports and the campaign spending return for the 2016 referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union 11 May 2018 1 Other formats For information on obtaining this publication in a large-print or Braille version, please contact the Electoral Commission: Tel: 020 7271 0500 Email:
[email protected] The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. We work to promote public confidence in the democratic process and ensure its integrity. 2 Contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 4 2 The decision to investigate .................................................................... 8 3 The investigation ................................................................................... 12 4 The investigation findings .................................................................... 14 5 Final determination on offences .......................................................... 28 Annex A: Legal framework .......................................................................... 29 3 1 Introduction The Electoral Commission 1.1 The Electoral Commission (“the Commission”) is the statutory regulator with the power, granted by an Act of Parliament, to set and enforce standards in relation to elections and referendums. Its functions include the regulation of political finances