National Tory party to 'take further look' at David Mackintosh's role in the Sixfields fiasco

In a statement released this morning, the Northampton South Conservatives Association said the party's central office is to take a further look at the MP's role in the affair following the release of the PricewaterhouseCooper audit report a fortnight ago.

It means, however, the local party is to defer a motion it was set to discuss at tomorrow's executive committee meeting over Mr Mackintosh.

Strangely though, the national party has issued a statement claiming that it is not investigating Mr Mackintosh.

The statement from the local party read: “Following the release of the PriceWaterhouseCooper’s internal auditor report into the NBC loan to Northampton Town Football Club in 2013, the Conservative Party leadership has been in touch with the Northampton South Conservative Association.

"It wishes to take a more in-depth look at the several issues, one of which has already been reported on, and the role played by the Northampton South MP in them.

"The Northampton South Conservative Association will assist the investigation and in the interim lay on one side the motion tabled for debate at the executive committee meeting on December 9.

"The motion will be debated at its next executive committee meeting pending the outcome of the investigation by the leadership and whatever conclusions and recommendations it makes.”

However in contradiction, a spokesman for the national Conservative Party, said: "“This is incorrect. The Conservative Party is not investigating.”

The party has been asked to clarify the statement, and why the local and the national party's statement's contradict.

The motion due to be debated was to consider whether Mr Mackintosh had brought reputational damage on the Northampton South Conservative Association over his “refusal to accept criticism” over the Sixfields loan.

The MP has issued a number of apologies this week, but refuted any suggestion he pressurised officers at the borough council to get a loan deal completed in 2013.

In the run-up to the 2015 General Election a total of £30,000 in donations was made to Mr Mackintosh’s campaign fund from individuals with business links to the director of 1st Land Howard Grossman. That company received around £8.75 million of the £10.25 million loan to Sixfields in 2013 and 2014. The three separate donations were for £10,000 each.

Mr Mackintosh has said on several occasions that he welcomes the inquiry into the Sixfields loan and says he never considered any of the donations to have come from anyone other than the stated donors.

In July he told the Chron: “I met all of the donors through various business introductions through Howard Grossman, he never once offered me any money or discussed any contributions to my election campaign, but said people were interested in donating to the Conservative party that he knew."