The jury in the trial of South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay and aides Nathan Gray, 29, and Marion Little, 63, have been told the court will accept a majority verdict.
The direction comes as the jurors are in their seventh day of deliberations.
The trial of Mr Mackinlay 52, at Southwark Crown Court opened on October 15 with the jury retiring to consider their verdict on December 5.
The three are accused of overspending in the MP’s successful bid to beat the then Ukip leader Nigel Farage to the seat of South Thanet in the 2015 General E;ection and then submitting false expenditure declarations..
Mr Mackinlay, an accountant, was elected to Parliament on May 7, 2015 with a majority of around 2,800.
He was re-elected to the seat in last year’s snap election with 25, 262 votes, ahead of Labour’s Raushan Ara, who polled 18,875 votes.
Declared spending on the 2015 campaign came in under the strict £52,000 limit. But jurors at the trial were told his victory could have been made void if up to £66,000 of undeclared spending on staffing, accommodation and advertising was included on returns.
Mr Mackinlay denies two counts of knowingly making a false declaration on an election expenses return.
Mr Gray denies one count of knowingly using a false instrument and Ms Little denies three counts of “intentionally encouraging or assisting an offence.”
The jury are expected to sit again until lunchtime tomorrow (December 13) and if no decision is reached at that point they will break until January.
