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The Tory government is "in it up to its neck" over the Brexit spending row, Labour declared today.

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett made the strongest condemnation yet of allegations that Vote Leave broke its spending cap in the 2016 EU referendum.

Speaking under parliamentary privilege, meaning he cannot be sued for his words, Mr Trickett warned youth group BeLeave may have been "a puppet campaign designed to avoid electoral law".

And he branded Michael Gove and Boris Johnson, who were the public faces of Vote Leave, the "Bonnie and Clyde of Brexit".

The Cabinet ministers have vehemently denied wrongdoing.

Mr Johnson said Vote Leave won "fair and square and legally" and branded the claims "ludicrous" while Mr Gove said the EU referendum was "free and fair".

But Mr Trickett told the House of Commons: "We must have a proper and urgent investigation - but the truth is that this House is not the proper place to carry out such an investigation.

(Image: PA Wire)

"Let's be blunt about the reason why.

"It's because the Government is in it up to its neck.

"Two Cabinet ministers fronted the organisation. There they sit, week after week, the Bonnie and Clyde of Brexit."

The emergency debate was granted after Lib Dem MP Tom Brake raised concerns over allegations of Vote Leave "acting in concert" with a smaller youth Brexit group called BeLeave.

Vote Leave was nearing its £7million legal spending limit when it donated £625,000 to BeLeave in the final days of the campaign.

The donation was completely legal - as long as there was not collaboration between the two campaigns.

Vote Leave insists there was no collaboration - and the Electoral Commission has twice examined the issue and found no case to answer.

(Image: Parliament.tv)

But former BeLeave volunteer Shahmir Sanni this week claimed "we never had a say over" how money was spent.

Mr Trickett told the House of Commons: "If these allegations of collusion are true, they amount to a serious breach of the regulations and a de facto fusion of the two campaign groups.

"One has to assume that under those circumstances there was an illegal spend by Vote Leave-BeLeave of about 10% of the total statutory cap.

"That was illegal, yet a further allegation has been made.

"It is said that after the referendum Vote Leave staff destroyed or doctored the electronic data files they held in order to remove any reference to an interconnection between the two campaigns.

"It is therefore hard to conclude anything other than that this was a puppet campaign designed to avoid electoral law.

"If there was nothing to hide, why would they destroy or change the files?"

(Image: REUTERS)

Cabinet Office minister Chloe Smith said she would not be commenting on allegations that are under investigation by the Electoral Commission.

She added: "The Electoral Commission is independent of Government. It is, indeed, accountable to Parliament, via, Mr Speaker, your committee on the Electoral Commission, the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission."

Vote Leave has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

The group's former campaign director Dominic Cummings wrote on his blog last night: "Vote Leave’s donations were legal, the Electoral Commission gave us written permission.

"We leave in a year and this lame gossip won’t even be a historical footnote."