'I have made mistakes and I am deeply sorry': Disgraced Tory MP Mark Menzies breaks his silence and says he has faced the 'toughest tests of my life' after he quit party over claims he asked staff to pay off 'bad people'

Disgraced MP Mark Menzies has finally broken his silence, blaming his antics on an 'incredibly difficult time' in his personal life, including caring for his dementia-affected mother.

The MP for Fylde, who quit the Conservatives and will stand down at the next election, also bemoaned being at the centre of a 'media storm' after being exposed for allegedly using campaign cash to pay off 'bad people'.

The allegations arose following a report in The Times that detailed how Mr Menzies made a phone call at 3.15am in December to a local party aide Katie Fieldhouse, 78, desperately requesting £5,000.

The paper claimed he told her that he was 'locked in a flat' and desperately needed to pay off his captors during the dramatic late-night incident that was a 'matter of life and death'

Ms Fieldhouse refused to pay but Mr Menzies' officer manager office manager Shirley Green reportedly cashed in an ISA to cover the payment, which rose to £6,500, later being reimbursed from money raised by local donors.

Mrs Green is a Conservative Mayoress in Menzies' Lancashire constituency who apparently found herself awoken early the following morning by Ms Fieldhouse who was concerned after her early hours call from Mr Menzies.

Ms Fieldhouse had reportedly called Mrs Green because she herself had just been rung hours earlier by their local MP apparently in great distress about what might happen to him if he didn't come up with the money immediately.

Mrs Green, who is currently Mayor of genteel St Anne's on the Sea, down the coast from Blackpool, and her term will come to an end next month.

She has served on the Town Council since 2019 and has taken a full role in local civic life, and is a governor of a local primary school and trustee of a Boys and Girls club.

Recently, she was photographed with Mr Menzies at the St Anne's Carnival, alongside her neighbour Mayor of Fylde Borough Council and volunteers dressed up as Disney characters.

Mark Menzies disputed these allegations, but Lancashire Police later launched an investigation into the claims, which is understood to be ongoing.

A further allegation by The Times, also denied by the MP, suggested he used £14,000 of donor cash for private medical expenses.

Mr Menzies has now written a letter to his constituents, published in his local newspaper, where he admitted making 'mistakes' during his time as an MP.

He penned: 'Recent years have been an incredibly difficult time for me personally.

'While I will not be going into detail about this publicly, I have faced personal challenges that have proven some of the toughest tests of my life.

'Being an MP has always meant serving others, something I am privileged to have been able to do and have continued to do during this period.

'A significant reason for this is the help of friends, my Parliamentary team and the medical professionals who have supported me personally throughout, helping me to overcome these pressures and carry on as an MP, a job that I love and have always been wholly committed to.

'Nevertheless, I have made mistakes and I am deeply sorry for that.'

Mr Menzies said the 'media storm' that had engulfed him before he resigned on April 21 had been particularly hard as he was also caring for his mother, who has dementia.

He added: 'Being at the centre of a media storm is far from easy. At difficult times like this, the person who gives me comfort is my mum.

'With my father having passed before I was born and no siblings we have an extremely close bond and I know the sacrifices she made in raising me.

'Now almost 90, she has been living with dementia and a catalogue of other conditions for several years.

'Throughout this time, I have been combining my duties as a Member of Parliament with those of a carer.'

After an investigation, the Conservative Party accused him of 'a pattern of behaviour that falls below the standards expected of MPs and individuals looking after donations to local campaign funds which lie outside the direct jurisdiction of the Conservative party'.