Zac Goldsmith mounts defence on Channel 4 news
Zac Goldsmith has appeared on Channel 4 News to respond to questions raised about his campaign costs during the general election. The Conservative MP claimed the allegations were “a nonsense”.
Goldsmith faces questions over his electoral spending following a joint investigation by the Bureau and Channel 4 News.
The new MP for Richmond began by insisting he had not had the chance to respond to the questions raised when the report was first aired on Thursday evening.
He said: “I contacted Channel 4 and said I would like to come and do a live interview to address these issues on air, head-to-head.
“You clearly tried to create the impression I was unwilling to do so.”
Channel 4 News first requested an interview with Mr Goldsmith one week ago.
In a statement to Channel 4 News Zac Goldsmith’s election agent cautioned against reporting inaccurate figures and making false assumptions. He said: “We were scrupulous in ensuring that all our election expenses complied with both the letter and the spirit of Electoral Commission rules.”
Independent political analyst Greg Callus told Channel 4 News: “There is barely a campaign in the country where, I imagine, they have not been at least a little bit creative about this kind of thing, merging local campaign costs or how materials are being used. I’d be very surprised if they weren’t.
“If there is to be a new wave of expenses that the public will be shocked by, it will be spending in this period, in the run-up to elections.”
