A FORMER general election candidate for Rossendale and Darwen has said an accusation of electoral expenses fraud are ‘politically motivated’.

Will Straw, who fought for Labour in the constituency last year, is being investigated by police after his failed attempt to win the Commons seat.

Mr Straw is alleged to have not declared campaign spending on a Labour Party bus that visited the area in 2015.

The son of former Blackburn MP Jack Straw was reported to the police by a constituent.

Mr Straw, who was awarded a CBE in former prime minister David Cameron’s resignation honours list, led the failed ‘In’ campaign in the EU referendum earlier this year.

In the 2015 May General Election he was beaten by Conservative candidate Jake Berry who won with a majority of 5,654.

An investigation, launched in June after it was claimed the Tory party breached rules over expenses involving Mr Berry, is also on-going.

Mr Straw said: “My election expenses covering the costs of leaflets and events comply fully with the electoral commission rules.

“I am fully complying with the police’s on-going investigations, but regard the complaints against me as being entirely pernicious and politically motivated.”

A series of investigations have been launched by police across the country into election spending by both Tory and Labour candidates. A Lancashire Police spokesman said: “Inquiries remain ongoing.”

Many of the cases centre on the use of ‘battle buses’ and whether spending on them should fall within the strict spending limits for individual candidates or if they formed part of the larger overall national campaign run by the party headquarters.

Three South Yorkshire Labour MPs are also being investigated over allegations they failed to properly declare money spent on staff in their re-election bids.

Rother Valley MP Sir Kevin Barron, Wentworth and Dearne MP John Healey and Rotherham’s Sarah Champion all insist they complied with the rules.

Sir Kevin said: “All my elections expenses were declared within the law and the rules set out by the Electoral Commission and have been publicly available since June last year.”

Ms Champion said: “All my elections expenses are declared within the law and the rules set out by the Electoral Commission and IPSA (Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority).”

Mr Healey said: “These allegations are simply wrong. My expenses for the 2015 general election were reported fully in accordance with the law and the rules set out by the Electoral Commission.”