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image captionTim Farron was found to have broken parliamentary standards by failing to declare four donations in time
MP Tim Farron has apologised after breaking standards rules by failing to declare more than £57,000 of donations within the proper time limit.
Faith in Public, a religious think-tank the MP started, made donations worth £48,000 while a refugee group paid for a £9,000 adviser.
The Westmorland and Lonsdale MP said he would ensure it did not happen again.
Commissioner Kathryn Stone investigated after a complaint from a member of the public.
The complainant said the donations, which included the services of a public relations company worth £14,400, two policy advisers worth £22,918 and an intern worth £11,368, were made in March, April and September 2020 but were not registered until 19 February this year.
Beckenham’s MP is under investigation by the parliamentary watchdog after writing a character reference in support of a former colleague found guilty of sexual offences. Colonel Bob Stewart is one of five MPs who wrote to the judge overseeing the trial of Charlie Elphicke, who was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault against two women last year. Writing on House of Commons notepaper after the verdict, Mr Stewart said Elphicke s sentence should take into account his hard work as an MP, and described his crimes as folly .
Charlie Elphicke with his ex-wife The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has revealed all five MPs are under investigation for ‘actions causing significant damage to the reputation of the House as a whole, or of its Members generally’ and ‘use of facilities (stationary) provided by the public purse.’
PM faces sleaze watchdog probe over Caribbean holiday
Standards commissioner confirms Boris Johnson is being investigated over his 2019 getaway
Photo: Jason Pratt/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
The parliamentary standards commissioner has confirmed the prime minister is being investigated over his 2019 Caribbean holiday.
Independent commissioner Kathryn Stone revealed on Monday that Boris Johnson was included in a list of MPs being investigated for breaking the code of conduct.
The watchdog will probe who paid for the PM s stay in a villa in Mustique in Christmas 2019.
The ten-day trip, which Johnson took with his fiancée Carrie Symonds, reportedly cost around £15,000.
The PM claimed at the time the cost of the villa had been paid by Tory party donor David Ross, who owns property on the island.
Grimsby businessman David Ross to give evidence in Boris Johnson s £15,000 holiday investigation
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is investigating who paid for the luxury break
Updated
David Ross, left, said he helped Prime Minister Boris Johnson and partner Carrie Synmonds, right, find a holiday in Mustique (Image: GrimsbyLive / Getty Images)
Grimsby-born business tycoon, David Ross, is to give evidence into an investigation into who funded a £15,000 holiday enjoyed by Boris Johnson after his 2019 General Election victory.
Mr Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds flew to the Caribbean island of Mustique for a holiday between December, 26 2019 and January 5, 2020.
Now The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is investigating who paid for the luxury break.
Last modified on Tue 11 May 2021 07.29 EDT
Five Conservative members of parliament are under investigation over attempts to lobby judges ahead of a hearing in relation to the disgraced former Conservative MP, Charlie Elphicke.
Parliament’s sleaze watchdog confirmed it was investigating the MPs; Roger Gale, Adam Holloway, Bob Stewart, Theresa Villiers and Elphicke’s estranged wife, Natalie, who succeeded him in his Dover and Deal seat.
Using Commons stationery, the group wrote to senior judges to intervene in a hearing on whether references to support the former MP at his sentencing for sexual assault could be made public.
They are being investigated by Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, for “use of facilities [stationery] provided from the public purse” and for “actions causing significant damage to the reputation of the house as a whole, or of its members generally.”