Patrick Brown disqualified from Conservative leadership race

Patrick Brown has been banned from running in the race to lead the federal Conservatives.

The chair of the party’s leadership election organizing committee announced the decision late Tuesday.

Ian Brodie said the party learned of “serious allegations of wrongdoing” by the Patrick Brown campaign related to federal election financing rules.

Brodie did not provide further details about the allegations, but said the chief returning officer told Brown about them and gave him time to respond, but concerns were not satisfied.

The Brown campaign said it is consulting its legal team as a result.

In its own statement, the Brown campaign said the decision to disqualify him from the race is “reprehensible,” and that it was not given full details or evidence for the “anonymous allegations.”

It also accused the party of choosing to disqualify him as a way to benefit Brown’s main rival, longtime Ottawa-area MP Pierre Poilievre.