While Siddiq was being ejected from government late yesterday another Labour MP landed himself in hot water. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards published his report into Clive Lewis’ involvement with Jolyon’s Good Law Project. In a 52-page report he concludes Lewis broke clear parliamentary rules…
Last year the Good Law Project teamed up with MPs Lewis, Layla Moran, and Caroline Lucas to try to bring legal action against the Charity Commission for its handling of their previous campaigns against the Global Warming Policy Foundation and Institute of Economic Affairs. Another hare-brained scheme for which the GLP solicited donations from its supporters…
The problem is that only Moran registered, as per the Category 8 rules, the “funds established to defray legal costs arising out of the Member’s work, including ‘crowdfunded’ legal funds for action to which the Member is a party.” Lewis claims he was not aware that the GLP would fund the litigation along with an array of other excuses, including that he was ignored in communications from Jolyon’s outfit. The commissioner concludes “that there has been a breach of Rule 5 as the Crowdfunder detailed above should have been registered in the Register of Member’s Financial Interests.” Lewis gets a slap on the wrist…
As per procedure Lewis has had to send an email back apologising. The whole exchange of letters makes for entertaining reading. Even the most progressive MPs might think twice before signing themselves onto Jolyon’s next mad project after this…
Speaking to Sky News off the back of Rachel Reeves’ Air Passenger Duty hike, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said:
“Labour is dependent on those Red Wall seats, and yet every move she makes poisons economic growth and damages the UK’s recovery… it’s the Chancellor who stumbles from policy misstep to policy misstep… I think her policy decisions are incredibly stupid.”