Tory sleaze would ‘make Donald Trump blush’, says Emily Thornberry
A former Tory minister has been referred to the anti-sleaze watchdog over allegations that he broke Commons rules by using his parliamentary office for a second job.
Geoffrey Cox, who served as attorney general between 2018 and 2020, is thought to have earned almost £1 million by advising the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in a corruption inquiry started by the Foreign Office.
After spending several months in the Caribbean earlier this year for this job, a video from September appears to show him attending a hearing remotely from his parliamentary office, according to The Times.
As MPs are not permitted to use their taxpayer-funded offices for anything except their parliamentary work, Labour has accused Mr Cox of “brazenly” flouting the rules.
The deepening of the sleaze scandal comes after the prime minister attempted last week to help Owen Paterson, a former minister who was due to be suspended for lobbying on behalf of two companies he advised.
Meanwhile, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith is also facing questions over a potential conflict of interests over a £25,000-a-year role advising a hand sanitizer company.
Labour accuses Geoffrey Cox of ‘egregious’ flouting of Commons rules
Labour has accused Tory MP Geoffrey Cox of a “egregious” breach of Commons rules, after the former attorney general reportedly used his parliamentary office to perform non-parliamentary work.
It is thought that he used the space to attend a hearing in September, in his role as legal adviser to the government of British Virgin Islands (BVI).
Rory Sullivan10 November 2021 07:58
Duncan Smith accused of ‘brazen’ conflict of interest over £25,000-a-year job
Iain Duncan Smith has become the latest Tory MP to be embroiled in the sleaze scandal.
The former Tory leader has been accused of a “brazen conflict of interests” in his £25,000-a-year role advising a hand sanitizer company, which stood to gain from recommendations made by a government task force he chaired.
My colleague Emily Atkinson reports:
Rory Sullivan10 November 2021 07:49
Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s live politics coverage, which will focus on the sleaze scandal engulfing the government.
Rory Sullivan10 November 2021 07:46