Transcripts For BBCNEWS Newsnight 20170316

His story will serve as a lesson to other writers. After a summary of the news, newsday is coming up at midnight. They have imposed a fine on the Conservative Party and the Conservative Party and the Conservative Party and the Conservative Party will be meeting that fine, paying that fine. A report into the Tory Battle Bus way that 2015 Election Campaign was accounted for makes damning reading. Is this the next Expenses Scandal or just the way political business gets done these days . The main Political Parties didnt want to put anyone on to discuss that but we do have guests to discuss that but we do have gu ests to to discuss that but we do have guests to discuss how the tory breach of electoral law has been. And scotland said no in its referendum two and a half years ago. May has said no to another theresa may has said no to another vote, at least for now. Good things change . What the scottish nationalists are suggesting is that they are not the engines of uncertainty, of chaos with brexit, the British Government is. Also tonight, is the accusation of racism bandied around far too widely . We will ask if majority White Communities are racist when theyrassai aiz the White Communities are racist when they gig; the best] White Communities are racist when they gig; the best for White Communities are racist when they 55; the best for people like they want the best for people like them. Hello. So the Electoral Commission published a report on allegations against the conservatives today and the way theyve accounted for their spending in various recent elections or by elections. First thing to remember is that National Parties are obliged by law to keep records and receipts of election spending, because there are National Caps on how much they can spend. There are also caps on what each local candidate can spend. Those were not the issue today. This was the National Party affair, but several Police Forces have been looking at various conservative mps as well. Now, todays news from the Electoral Commission was extraordinarily damning, finding the conservatives guilty on multiple counts, much of them exposed, by the way, by channel four news. Failing to declare all their National Spending. Failing to keep proper accounts and records. And, crucially, counting some local spending as national, which may then obviously distort local battles. The Commission Said the then tory treasurer may have broken criminal law in signing the election records off, and it condemns the party for not even co operating with its investigation. Damning report. You cannot cross this over. It is a bad day for the Conservative Party. That record fine. The Conservative Party said we complied with the Electoral Commission and they said excuse me, we had to go to the high court to get some of these documents out of you and the registered treasurer at the time has been referred to the police because he may not have filled in those forms properly. The liberal democrats. There are two particularly important findings from this report off the back of that investigation and the first of those is in thanet south, where the conservatives defeated nigel farage. The report says that the conservatives should have declared some of the hotel costs for tory officials, they should have declared that as local spending. Because the tories have their anti Ukip National centre there. The reason why that matters is nick timothy, there, and the second thing that matters is the same principle about you should have declared some National Spending as local applies m under investigation by the police on that matter. We heard from one of those mps last night. He is now no longer under investigation. What are those tory mps with that cloud hanging over them saying