LONDON - The British lawmaker who beat Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage in a 2015 national election battle has been charged with criminal offenses related to spending on the campaign, prosecutors said on Friday, a week before a fresh national election.
Craig Mackinlay, 50, who is standing for re-election, was charged along with election agent Nathan Gray, 28, and aide Marion Little, 62.
The allegations related to Conservative Party expenditure during the 2015 campaign, the prosecutors said in a statement.
"We have concluded there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to authorize charges against three people," the prosecutors said.
The Conservative Party said in a statement that the allegations were "unfounded."Last month prosecutors ruled out bringing more widespread criminal charges over allegations of expenses fraud by the Conservatives during the 2015 campaign.