Appeal by the Electoral Commission against an order of the Divisional Court by which it granted the Good Law Project’s application for judicial review of the Electoral Commission’s decision not to open an investigation into campaign spending of, and donations received by, Vote Leave Limited and Mr Darren Grimes in connection with the referendum on membership of the European Union.
Held: The appeal succeeded: ‘the correct interpretation of the legislation read as a whole is that a donation to a permitted participant cannot also be an expense incurred by the donor. This interpretation accords both with the natural and ordinary meaning of the 2000 Act and its underlying objectives. It would provide clarity for all those concerned who have to interpret and apply the legislation in a practical way.’
Judges:
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Justice Singh and Lady Justice Nicola Davies
Citations:
[2019] EWCA Civ 1567
Links:
Statutes:
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 111(2)
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Elections
Updated: 18 August 2022; Ref: scu.641792
