Former Shadow Cabinet member and MP for Edmonton since 2015, Kate Osamor, has been found in breach of the Code of Conduct of the House of Commons, after providing a character reference for her drug-dealing son using Parliamentary stationery. He was employed in her office at the time. Nothing like a bit of Red Prince nepotism…

The Commissioner also found that Osamor breached the Code of Conduct when she abused a journalist who was asking about her case, and in breach again “by a number of failures to respond to contacts”. She has now apologised…

Read the Commissioner’s statement here:

“The Commissioner found that Ms Osamor acted in breach of paragraph 16 of the Code of Conduct in her use of House-supplied stationery to write to a court. Her son, who was employed in Ms Osamor’s parliamentary office, had pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing controlled drugs with intent to supply. On the day of the sentencing hearing, 18 October 2018, Ms Osamor hand-delivered at the court a letter on House of Commons stationery using the crowned portcullis supplying a character reference for her son. The Commissioner concluded that this was a breach of the rules because it wrongly gave the impression that her correspondence carried the authority of the House.

The Commissioner also found that Ms Osamor acted in breach of paragraph 17 of the Code (which relates to damage to the reputation of the House) by her behaviour on the evening of 30 November 2018 when, in the presence of police officers who video-recorded the incident, Ms Osamor used abusive language to a journalist who was inquiring into her involvement with her son’s case.

Finally, the Commissioner found Ms Osamor had also breached paragraph 17 by a number of failures to respond to contacts from her.

Ms Osamor accepts that committed these breaches of the Code and has apologised for her conduct. The Commissioner states in her memorandum that, because breaches of paragraph 17 cannot be subject to the rectification procedure, she was required to refer this case to the Committee. However, she drew the Committee’s attention to written evidence from Ms Osamor arguing in mitigation of the offences.”