Labour has demanded that the Parliamentary Commissioner for
Standards opens an investigation into the Prime Minister failing
to declare the free luxury holiday that he was donated by – who the Prime Minister
appointed to the House of Lords and a ministerial job – in the
Register of Members’ Interests.
By failing to declare this gift the Prime Minister appears to
have broken the House of Commons Code of Conduct and the rules
relating to the Conduct of Members – the same rules that the
Prime Minister and Conservative MPs attempted to change this week
by over-riding the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and
replacing the independent Standards Committee with a sham
kangaroo court stacked with Conservative stooges.
The Prime Minister registered the donation in the List of
Ministers’ Interests but has not registered the donation in the
Register of Members’ Interests.
However, when the Prime Minister previously had a luxury holiday
paid for by somebody else the Parliamentary Commissioner for
Standards concluded that “Mr Johnson was required under the
House’s rules to register the holiday accommodation”, and the
cross-party Committee for Standards agreed with that conclusion,
stating that “Mr Johnson was required to register the holiday
accommodation he received in the Register of Members’ Interests…
Mr Johnson was required by the Guide to the Rules, which has the
authority of the House, to register the accommodation”.
Referring to Johnson’s “long history of breaching the rules in
relation to parliamentary standards and other integrity and
anti-corruption measures”, Rayner says “we cannot have a
situation where behaves like it’s one rule
for him and another for everyone else.” The Commissioner has
already found the Prime Minister guilty of breaking the rules on
two previous occasions.
Ends
Notes to editors
Full text of letter from Angela Rayner to Parliamentary
Commissioner for Standards:
4th November 2021
Sent via email
Dear Commissioner,
I am writing to you regarding the Member of Parliament for
Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
In the List of Ministers’ Interests published today, the Member
of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in his capacity as
the Prime Minister declared that in October 2021 he stayed “in a
holiday home in southern Spain which was provided free of charge
by the Goldsmiths”. The Prime Minister did not declare the value
of this gift, but it is reasonable to assume that the value was a
significant amount given media outlets have reported that this
villa is rented out at a fee of £25,000 per week.
However, he has not declared this gift in the Register of
Members’ Interests. This appears to be a breach of the House Code
of Conduct and the rules relating to the Conduct of Members
regarding the declaration and registration of interests and
gifts.
You will of course be aware that the last time the Member for
Uxbridge and South Ruislip enjoyed a free luxury holiday your
subsequent report found that “Mr Johnson was required under the
House’s rules to register the holiday accommodation he received”
and the Committee for Standards agreed with the conclusion,
stating that “Mr Johnson was required to register the holiday
accommodation he received in the Register of Members’ Interests…
Mr Johnson was required by the Guide to the Rules, which has the
authority of the House, to register the accommodation”.
It is also worth noting that was given a peerage and a
ministerial job by Mr Johnson. The public could understandably
draw the conclusion in this case that the Prime Minister is
dishing out cushy jobs to his friends who pay for his luxury
holidays.
Given the Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip has
a long history of breaching the rules in relation to
parliamentary standards and other integrity and anti-corruption
measures, it is my assumption that he will be eager to ensure
that he fulfils his obligations under the Rules of the House of
Commons in this case.
We cannot have a situation where behaves like it’s one rule
for him and another for everyone else. I would be grateful for
your guidance on whether this is a breach of the rules, and
whether you will investigate the Member of Parliament for
Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon
Committee on Standards report on MP - July 2021, Parliament.uk
broke Commons rules over late
declaration of financial interest in property - April
2019, The Independent
apologises to MPs for failing
to declare £52,000 in time - December 2018, BBC
News
