It’s been a busy week for the House of Lords Commissioners for Standards, as inquiries have been opened into two big names. The Shadow Leader of the Lords, Baroness Smith, and Lord Ed Vaizey both face probes for their registers of interests. Baroness Smith is being investigated for two breaches – related to an incorrect register entry – whilst Ed Vaizey is being looked into for the non-registration of interests. This now brings the total number of cases on the Standards Commissioner’s in-tray to seven. To be fair to our noble friends, keeping an up to date register of interests can’t be easy for the old and infirm.
The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) has demanded a reinvestigation of the sexual misconduct complaints against David Warburton, after Warburton’s appeal was successfully upheld. Warburton was previously referred to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) following a complaint by his staffer last year. Around the time pictures emerged of him posing next to a mountain of cocaine…
The investigator recommended upholding two of the sexual misconduct allegations, although now the Independent Expert Panel has decided to re-do the probe:
“[the panel] found that the Investigator had failed properly to pursue the suggestion by the respondent [Warburton] that the complainant had colluded with witnesses to fabricate the complaint against him. The respondent had submitted material that might be capable of supporting his argument, but it had not been properly assessed by the Investigator or the Commissioner. The Commissioner also failed fully to consider whether the complainant’s breach of confidentiality at the beginning of the process, and her denial of it, affected her credibility. The subpanel also concluded that the Commissioner had relied on evidence that had not been adequately tested during the investigation…”
Warburton has already resigned as an MP, so this won’t save his parliamentary career. If the reinvestigation rules in his favour, it might give him a new line to take when explaining himself in future, at least…
Read the IEP’s report in full below…
Conservative MP Bob Stewart is facing an investigation for his registration of interests. He is being probed under paragraph 13 under category 1 of the guide to the conduct rules, which states:
“Members shall fulfil conscientiously the requirements of the House in respect of the registration of interests in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. They shall always be open and frank in drawing attention to any relevant interest in any proceeding of the House or its Committees, and in any communications with Ministers, Members, public officials or public office holders.”
Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg isn’t the only enemy combatant turning fire on Colonel Bob. He’s also in court next week for using “abusive words”…
The Kangaroo Court wanted to whack Boris with an astonishing ninety-day Commons suspension in today’s report. For context, that is the second-longest Commons suspension in the last 74 years. The only MP who got it worse was Keith Vaz, who was suspended for six months for offering to buy drugs for prostitutes. Boris’s crimes are eating cake in his office and upsetting the Kangaroo Court by calling it a “Kangaroo Court”…
His suspension would have been three times longer than Margaret Ferrier’s, who spoke in the Commons while showing Covid symptoms, and then took a train all the way back to Glasgow knowing she’d tested positive. She got thirty days. Claudia Webbe, who was actually convicted of harassment, was never suspended from Parliament in the first place.
Since Boris has ruined the Committee’s fun by leaving early, their substitute punishment is to suggest a ban on his ex-MP’s parliamentary pass – a sanction usually reserved for the likes of John Bercow, who bullied his way out of a peerage. The Committee’s over reaction only further demonstrates how unsuitable the membership were in the first place…
Labour have suspended Shadow Minister Bambos Charalambous pending a formal complaint made through Labour’s independent complaints process. After Geraint Davies, this makes him the second Labour MP to have the whip suspended this month. Bambos told The Guardian:
“I am aware that there is an allegation that requires investigation by the Labour party. It is right and proper that process is allowed to take place. I will cooperate fully and play my full part. It is not appropriate to say anything further at this time.”
In May, Tortoise reported a Labour MP claimed she had been assaulted by a Shadow Minister…
The Standards Commissioner has concluded that Henry Smith broke Commons rules by sending out a newsletter using parliamentary stationery. The issue will not be taken further after Henry accepted the decision, apologised and reimbursed the £1,763 costs. In a letter to the Commissioner, Smith said:
“I can confirm that I accept your opinion that an inadvertent breach of the rules took place for which I apologise unreservedly. To ensure no such breach occurs in the future, I have spoken with my staff about this case and reiterated the rules that when responding to constituents they must draft correspondence on an individual basis relating to their enquiry subject matter only and not by way of a more general update… I personally accept your ruling and of course will re-imburse the House of Commons £1,762.61 for the 2,471 second class postage franked envelopes used.”
Guido’s glad Henry seems keen to stamp out this behaviour post-haste…
