Mark Menzies quits the Tories and says he will stand down at the general election following claims the Fylde MP used political donations to pay off 'bad people' who locked him in a flat
Fylde MP Mark Menzies today announced he has quit the Conservatives and will not be seeking re-election to the House of Commons at the general election.
The 52-year-old said it had been a 'very difficult week' following claims he misused campaign funds to settle medical bills and pay off 'bad people' who had locked him in a flat.
He pointed to 'pressures on myself and my elderly mother' for his decision to resign from the Tories and stand down from Parliament in the near future.
Mr Menzies had already lost the Conservative whip and been suspended as one of PM Rishi Sunak's trade envoys following the lurid newspaper allegations.
He has denied the claims but a Tory probe, which concluded today, found 'a pattern of behaviour that falls below the standards expected of MPs'.
Yet the internal investigation into the latest Westminster 'sleaze' row found there had not been a misuse of Conservative Party funds.
Fylde MP Mark Menzies today announced he has quit the Conservatives and will not be seeking re-election to the House of Commons at the general election
In allegations published by the Times on Wednesday, Mr Menzies was said to have made a 3am call to a 78-year-old party volunteer in December claiming to have been locked up by 'bad people'.
He was accused of saying he needed £5,000 as a 'matter of life and death', with the sum later rising to £6,500.
It was initially handed over by an office manager, before being reimbursed from party funds, the newspaper reported.
A further £14,000 given by donors for use on Tory campaign activities was also allegedly transferred to Mr Menzies' personal bank accounts and used for private medical expenses.
The MP was previously accused of getting a friend's dog drunk in 2017, paying for sex from a male escort in 2014 and drunkenly 'kicking chairs and poking people' at a Last Night of the Proms concert as recently as last August.
The Tories this afternoon said an investigation had found 'a pattern of behaviour that falls below the standards expected of MPs'.
But a spokesperson added they 'cannot conclude there had been a misuse of Conservative Party funds'.
'The Conservative Party has now completed its investigation into whether there was a misuse of Conservative Party funds,' a statement said.
'The money in question that was sent to Mark Menzies MP was signed off by the two signatories of Fylde Westminster group.
'This body sits outside of the remit of both the Conservative Party and Fylde Conservative Association.
'Therefore we cannot conclude that there has been a misuse of Conservative Party funds.
'However, we do believe that there has been a pattern of behaviour that falls below the standards expected of MPs and individuals looking after donations to local campaign funds which lie outside the direct jurisdiction of the Conservative Party.
'We will therefore be commencing with retraining individuals across the party on how to manage these accounts which fall outside of the remit of the Conservative Party and are introducing a whistleblowing helpline.
'Furthermore, whilst outside of the initial scope of this investigation, there has also been a recommendation that the actions of the MP in question have also potentially breached the Nolan principles of public life.
'This is due to the nature of the allegations made, but also the repetitive nature of these separate allegations. These will be reviewed by the Conservative Party's member governance team.
'We will of course share any information with the police if they believe it would be helpful to any investigation they decide to undertake.
'Suggestions the party has not been seriously examining this matter are demonstrably false as we have worked to protect the identities of all those involved whilst the facts could be established.'
Mr Menzies said: 'It has been an enormous privilege representing the people of Fylde since 2010.
'But due to the pressures on myself and my elderly mother I have decided to resign from the Conservative Party and will not stand at the forthcoming general election.
'This has been a very difficult week for me and I request that my family's privacy is respected.'
Lancashire Police previously said they were 'reviewing the available information' after receiving a letter from Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds regarding the case.
It was reported the Tories had known about the allegations since January, which prompted questions about why it took until The Times published the claims for Mr Menzies to lose the party whip.
But senior Cabinet ministers have suggested 'further information' came to light that led to the action against Mr Menzies on Wednesday night.
Mr Menzies has been MP for Fylde, in Lancashire, since 2010 and won a majority of 16,611 at the 2019 general election.
He becomes the 101st MP to say he will not fight his seat at the next general election.
In response to the claims published by The Times, Mr Menzies had initially said: 'I strongly dispute the allegations put to me. I have fully complied with all the rules for declarations.'
Mr Menzies was first elected as MP for Fylde at the 2010 general election
More recently, Mr Menzies is said to have caused a drunken scene at a Last Night of the Proms concert featuring Katherine Jenkins at Lytham Hall last August (pictured)
One patron claimed the MP 'started kicking the chairs and poking the people on the front row' at the £150-a-ticket event (pictured)
A decade ago Mr Menzies quit as a ministerial aide following allegations about his behaviour made by a Brazilian male escort.
The MP, who was born in Ayrshire, was raised by his mother after his Merchant Navy father died a month before he was born.
He studied economic and social history at the University of Glasgow and worked for Marks & Spencer and Asda before moving into politics.
While the unmarried MP has never disclosed his sexuality, he has appeared on a list of gay MPs on the website Pink News.
Mr Menzies was first elected as MP for Fylde at the 2010 general election.
He quickly took up a position as parliamentary private secretary but his political career was left in tatters when he became embroiled in a sex-for-money scandal.
A 19-year-old Brazilian man called Rogerio dos Santos Pinto told The Sunday Mirror that the MP had paid him for sex and asked him to buy an illegal drug.
He said they met on a gay escort website and claimed the politician had given him a tour of Parliament before allegedly offering to pay him £250 for a two-hour session.
Mr Menzies, then 42, resigned as a ministerial aide and said some of the allegations were untrue and claimed he would be 'setting the record straight in due course'. He has not held a ministerial role since, however.
Three years later, the MP was quizzed by cops after being accused of deliberately getting a friend's dog drunk and then starting a fight with them when challenged.
It was reported at the time that the dog needed emergency treatment for 'intoxication' and 'poisoning'.
The dog owner claimed to have spent some £500 on vets' bills, The Mirror reported.
Mr Menzies said the allegations were 'false and malicious' at the time and police ultimately dismissed the claims.
And a source later denied Mr Menzies' involvement, claiming the dog drunk alcohol that had been left on the grass when the friend fell asleep.
More recently, Mr Menzies is said to have caused a drunken scene at a Last Night of the Proms concert featuring Katherine Jenkins at Lytham Hall last August.
The MP, who was invited by the local mayor, is said to have arrived intoxicated before getting into a row with other guests after finding out his seats had not been reserved in the VIP section.
One patron claimed the MP 'started kicking the chairs and poking the people on the front row' at the £150-a-ticket event, The Times reported.
Mr Menzies allegedly had to be spoken to by security because he was so heavily intoxicated.
A source close to the MP admitted he had too much to drink but did not intentionally poke anyone.
