The judicial review and what it really means

The Common Man is pleased to see the outcome of the Judicial Review into donations made by Alan Bown to UKIP has been published.

As expected, the anti-UKIP brigade have rushed to spin it according to their own views, but the reality is that it is not so bad for UKIP as might have been expected. The basic outcome is this.

The Electoral Commission was hoping for a decision that all of the donations should be returned because that is what the law stated. The judicial review found that in fact although this may be an interpretation, the ECHR (an unlikely savior for UKIP) meant that if such fines would be disproportionate the magistrate could order a lesser penalty.

The Common Man is pleased to learn that despite the certainly with which the anti-UKIP brigade trumpets the notion that UKIP may have to pay more, the reality is that UKIP may well have to pay less.