Brexit: Butlins owner handed record fine after breaking spending rules with Leave campaign adverts

Peter Harris spent more than £400,000 on a series of newspaper adverts that featured a British bulldog wearing a Union flag tie

Peter Harris spent more than £400,000 during the campaign (Getty)

Anti-EU campaigner and Butlins owner Peter Harris has been handed a record fined for breaching spending rules over pro-Brexit adverts in the days leading up to last June’s referendum.

Peter Harris was told to pay £12,000 – the Electoral Commission’s biggest financial penalty – after he missed the deadline for returning spending and audit information.

Mr Harris spent more than £400,000 on a series of newspaper adverts that featured a British bulldog wearing a Union flag tie in the run-up to the EU vote.

They included slogans such as "Let's be the top dog again – vote" and "You would be barking not to vote – this is our chance to leave the European Union" which appeared in full-page adverts in the Daily Mail and The Sun.

The Electoral Commission found that he had failed to deliver his spending return and audit report on time, and imposed its highest fine yet in relation to the referendum.

The Commission said former racehorse trainer Mr Harris had paid the fine.

Mr Harris, whose wealth is estimated to be £680m, owns dozens of caravan parks and hotels.

He was a major financial backer in the Leave camp but maintained a low-profile throughout the campaign.

The commission launched an investigation into the spending returns of the two main campaign groups in the EU referendum in February.

Vote Leave and Britain Stronger in Europe had not delivered all necessary invoices and receipts, as well as leaving necessary details out of submissions, it said.

Labour Leave and Ukip also submitted returns with discrepancies in the way they reported the same campaigning activity, the commission said, while the Liberal Democrats’ spending return was missing details including invoices, receipts and supplier names.

The Democratic Unionist Party, which has been holding talks with the Tories to agree a confidence and supply deal, was separately fined £4,000 for submitting an “inaccurate” spending return in relation to the 2016 election for the Northern Ireland Assembly.