To think the owner of the pub should be charged with conspiracy to commit fraud?

I do not pay taxes for people to have a free lunch at my expense

As the conversation was recorded, presumably by the publican, maybe he was genuinely trying to expose UKIP's fraudulent ways?

I thought that Grannytwice. Must be illegal.

I know where you are coming from Grannytwice - I heard that interview twice and thought exactly the same thing. The restaurant owner declared himself entirely happy to write a fraudulent bill for a "sponsor" but not for the EU (because it is "our" money - as indeed it is). Writing an inflated bill is fraud whoever is footing the bill!

I have no idea what this is about. I haven't watched the news tonight.

this Ana

Thank you, jingl.

Is the ukip hitting the fan?

Yes if the restaurant owner has colluded deserves to get into trouble.
Another one in a long line of UKIP embarrassments.
In fact they have had a bad day. To lose one parliamentary candidate this close to the election may be regarded as a misfortune, to lose THREE in on day looks like carelessness.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31983197

Yes I do! I was, to put it mildly, gobsmacked when I heard him interviewed at lunch time, about the request from the UKIP MEP and actually saying that he had agreed to falsify a reciept but then realised the money was coming fom EU funds. What a PL***

For those that voted UKIP in any of the local elections, if I may be permitted to mis-use/mis-quote (and of course get it grammatically wrong) a phrase:plus ça change plus c'est la même chose!

Not just grammatically right phoenix but complete with circumflex. Magnifique et formidable!

If providing false receipts for expenses, insurance or tax claims isn't illegal, it certainly should be.

It certainly is for tax purposes. Mind you if he inflated the bill he would have had to pay the extra VAT even though he presumably didn't get the extra income - dodgy all around it seems to me.

I ran a cafe/bar here for a while, and was often asked for an inflated VAT reciept for expenses, or tax returns, my awnser was always no. Some people were fine about it others quite abusive, some came back, some did not.
Spot checks are common here for the VAT, licences and taxes.
I would be the one in trouble if the VAT reciepts did not add up.
Makes me wonder about the Pub manager and his business.