"And then to top it all off, the Metropolitan Police finally handed their files on Vote Leave criminality to the Crown Prosecution Service after 16 months, meaning the Prime Minister and his most senior adviser could be facing criminal prosecution for their referendum cheating at some point in the next parliament, whether they're running the government or not."
In October last year, after holding the Electoral Commission’s files for four months, openDemocracy discovered that the Met’s investigation had effectively stalled. A Met spokesman told openDemocracy that “political sensitivities” had to be taken into account – an admission which was widely condemned, with questions asked in the House of Commons. Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, said that breaking the law during “one of the most critical moments in the UK’s history” made it of “urgent national interest that the police investigate what happened, how it happened and who was responsible.”
Although such demands are now closer to being met, sources inside the Met told openDemocracy that it is “almost impossible” to imagine anything further on this being released during a general election campaign.
Sarah Clarke from Unlock Democracy, a group which campaigns for political accountability through a written UK constitution, told openDemocracy today: “It's the eve of what looks set to be one of the dirtiest general election campaigns in memory. Boris Johnson and one of his closest advisors are fighting a Brexit election based on a campaign won through potentially criminal activity. It has taken significant effort on the part of campaigners and journalists to even get to this point. Whatever the outcome of the Met's investigation, damage has already been done to the integrity of our elections.“
She added: "There's no chance of election law violations being dealt with seriously when the Electoral Commission doesn't have real investigatory or fining powers. Even with action now being taken by the Met, money is coursing through the veins of elections and referendums in the UK. The insubstantial penalties for wrongdoing serve as an advertisement to those with deep pockets that breaking the law is a price worth paying.""
The CPS is of course the organisation that helped the establishment pin Julian Assange - so we shouldn't be holding our breath on this one, imo.