LONDON — A British lawmaker who allegedly used campaign funds to pay off people who were holding him hostage said Sunday that he wouldn’t seek reelection after the governing Conservative Party found his behavior fell below the standard expected of members of Parliament.
Mark Menzies' downfall is the latest in a series of scandals to hit the Conservatives, undermining support for a party that has been in power for the past 14 years as it prepares for a general election later this year.
The Times of London recently reported that Menzies called a 78-year-old aide at 3 a.m. in December asking for funds to pay off ''bad people'' who had locked him in an apartment and were demanding money for his release. Menzies' office manager ultimately paid 6,500 pounds ($8,100) from her personal bank account, which was reimbursed from funds donated by political backers, the newspaper said.
Menzies, who denies the allegations, has represented the seat of Fylde in northwest England since 2010.
''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," he said. ''This has been a very difficult week for me, and I request that my family's privacy is respected.''
Menzies' announcement came after the Conservatives announced the findings of an internal investigation into the matter.
The inquiry concluded that the payment had been authorized by two members of a local donors group that sits outside the Conservative Party, and therefore Menzies hadn't misused party funds.
''However, we do believe that there has been a pattern of behavior 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,'' the party said.
