UKIP MEP group spent EU cash on assembly poll, report says

Payments to Sam Gould were found to be against EU rules, according to a leaked report

A European Parliament group dominated by UKIP paid for opinion polling for the 2016 assembly election using EU cash, a leaked audit report claims.

The Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe (ADDE) has denied the report's claim that it broke EU rules misspending EU funds on UK campaigns.

The report also says ADDE paid for polls in two Welsh constituencies for the 2015 general election.

If the findings are upheld, the ADDE could be asked to repay about £150,000.

Payments to UKIP's former Welsh campaign manager Sam Gould worth €24,469 (£20,935) were also found to be against the rules.

UKIP won seven AMs at the May 2016 Senedd election, although one has since left the group and is now sitting as an independent.

Mr Gould has been contacted for comment.

The findings will go to the European Parliament Bureau, which is responsible for budget matters, on Monday.

The report, leaked to Sky News, showed that more than €500,615 (£428,332) had been misspent.

As well as in Wales, cash had also been spent on opinion polls in other UKIP general election target seats including Thanet South, where leader Nigel Farage stood, and for the referendum.

A poll for Cardiff South and Penarth was commissioned before the May election in April 2015, worth €12,165 (£10,406), while a poll in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney was financed the same month in April 2015 and cost €10,357 (£8,860).

A Wales-wide opinion poll was commissioned in September 2015, worth €42,058 (£35,981).

In the Cardiff poll questions were also asked about the Welsh assembly election.

'Of vital interest'

The report said the financing of the polling was considered to be "indirect financing of a national political party, namely UKIP".

This was substantiated, it said, through the "content of the polling which can only be of marginal interest, if any, in respect of statutes and working programme of the European political party ADDE."

However, the report added that it was "of vital interest for the national political party UKIP".

The report added that the expenditure relating to Sam Gould and two other consultants for ADDE was found to be "non-eligible" as the consultants were paid for an activity that was predominantly "or even purely" in the interest of UKIP.

Mr Gould was given €24,469 (£20,935) between June and December 2015.

It added that publicly available information showed that Sam Gould had been "providing consulting services to ADDE and were at the same time significantly involved in campaigning on behalf of their national party UKIP".

UKIP Wales MEP Nathan Gill said EU officials did not like UKIP and were "trying to punish" the party for the Brexit vote, describing the allegations as "obviously a witch hunt".

'Aggressive and hostile'

A spokesman for the ADDE said: "The parliament administration has for months taken an aggressive and hostile attitude over the audit, amounting to nothing short of deliberate harassment. This is a blatant deviation to its requested neutrality."

He added: "It has become increasingly apparent since Brexit that anything short of 'group think' is no longer tolerated within the European Union. Any deviation will see the rules changed and goalposts moved.

"Everything the ADDE has conducted is to provide a more coherent overview of the opinions expressed by the population that is represented by the members of the ADDE.

"We are therefore confident that our expenditures - with the exception of a few minor items - are fully eligible and compliant to EU regulations. They are also in line with fully accepted activities from other groups. We will be taking this matter to the European Court of Justice."