Former Northampton South Conservatie MP David Mackintosh on trial charged with failing declare political donations

A former conservative MP for Northampton appeared in court on Monday (October 23) after being accused of failing to declare the source of political donations to his election campaign.

David Mackintosh, aged 44, attended the first day of the trial at Warwick Crown Court.

Mackintosh was the conservative MP for Northampton South from May 2015 but stood down ahead of the 2017 general election. He was also the former leader of the now-defunct Northampton Borough Council.

He is accused alongside Howard Grossman, aged 61, of Caldecott Gardens, Bushey, who according to the indictment was the source of the concealed donations. The proceedings could take up to six weeks.

Both are accused of two offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The law was created to regulate political parties and their funding arrangements and requires parties to submit statements of their accounts on a regular basis. They are charged under a section of the election law which is being prosecuted for the first time.

Grossman and Mackintosh, of Station Road, Northampton, are accused of failing to provide the source of donations to the Northampton South Conservative Association, which were made in 2014.