New sign trolls disgraced Fylde MP Mark Menzies over 'bad people' scandal
‘No more sleaze!” demands a sign writer in Ansdell who has repeatedly targeted disgraced local MP Mark Menzies in recent weeks.
Spotted outside the under-renovation property in Clifton Drive, the new sign reads: “Mark Menzies, no more sleaze before July 4th please. You can see the bad people as much as you like after that.”
It follows another tongue-in-cheek pop at the MP outside the address earlier this month, which read: “Mark Menzies - You are an embarrassment. We don’t want you as our MP...Resign now.”
An earlier version, which appeared just days after the scandal broke in April, had said: “We Love Mark Menzies - The Bad People.”
He quit amid accusations he had misused political donations to cover his medical expenses and pay off “bad people” who had locked him in a flat and demanded money for his release. The MP, who has been serving the constituency of Fylde since 2010, had previously announced he would not be standing at the forthcoming General Election.
The signs have sparked mixed reactions from local residents, with one resident writing: “We don’t know the full story and once again the lynch mob is out in full force. Bullying, pure and simple.”
While others, feeling less sympathetic, said: “It's their garden so they can put what they like in it. If you don't like it, don’t look.”
In a personal column penned for the Lancashire Post, Lytham St Annes Express and Blackpool Gazette, Mr Menzies said he had “made mistakes” and for that he was “deeply sorry”.
An investigation into the allegations, denied by Mr Menzies, concluded that while there had not been a misuse of party funds, the MP’s behaviour fell below the required standards and may have breached the Nolan principles of public life.
Mr Menzies decision to stand down came after The Times reported he had called his 78-year old former campaign manager, Kate Fieldhouse, at 3.15am one day in December, claiming he was locked in a flat and needed £5,000 as a matter of “life and death”.
The sum, which rose to £6,500, was eventually paid by his office manager from her personal bank account and subsequently reimbursed from funds raised from donors in an account named Fylde Westminster Group, it is alleged.
The Times also reported that £14,000 given by donors for Tory campaign activities was transferred to Mr Menzies’ personal bank accounts and used for private medical expenses.
A party spokesman said the money in question had been signed off by two signatories of the Fylde Westminster Group.
They said: “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.”
The spokesman said the Tories would retain individuals on managing such accounts and introduce a whistleblowing hotline.
They added: “Whilst outside 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.”
Mark Menzies was approached for comment.