A Commons sleaze investigation into shadow minister Jess Philips has concluded she breached the House’s Register of Interest rules multiple times with late registrations of payments in her capacity as an author, columnist and public speaker, beyond the 28-day deadline. She also “incorrectly registered accommodation provided by Google as hospitality rather than earnings.” No doubt if this were a Tory minister Labour would by demanding a resignation…

The Standards Commissioner has dictated that the next register of interests update should include all Phillips’ relevant entries in bold, however the sheer number of breaches meant the commissioner made the rare decision to call Phillips in to meet the Registrar “to discuss her obligations within the Rules and Guide to the Rules”, which Jess did on 11 May this month. A bollocking in other words…

In summary, the sleaze commissioner found Philips to have breached Paragraph 14 of the Code by:

1. Failing to register 17 of your financial interests within the 28-day deadline set by the House
2. Failing to register a payment for appearing as a guest on an episode of “Have I Got News for You” in May 2019
3. Incorrectly registering accommodation provided to you following an event by Google and an event by GQ as hospitality rather than income.

Philips says she’s “truly sorry” for the mistakes, which “were without question mine and those mistakes breached the rules”.