LibDem MP for Solihull Lorely Burt has given her husband a parliamentary pass. On first inspection this might not be such a big deal and many members give their spouses access to their offices without actually employing them, however any passholder is obliged to declare their outside interests. Mr Burt has not done this.

Now Mr Burt is not a man of leisure, far from it. He is in fact the Campaign Director of the non APPC registered BTP Advisors who seemingly have a lot of interests down in West Africa. Mr Burt even boasts of the work he has done for the LibDems in his own bio and plays up his connections to Parliament in an attempt to woo clients. He is less keen to big himself up in the parliamentary passholders’ register though. Why? Mrs Burt’s office claim that it’s a cock-up that he is on the staff list, and said Mr Burt didn’t need declare his interests as he had a spouse pass. All very convenient.