Jeremy Hunt referred to Parliament’s sleaze watchdog over buy-to-let breaches
Jeremy Hunt has been referred to Parliament’s sleaze watchdog after he admitted breaking MP rules when setting up a company to buy seven luxury flats.
The Commissioner for Public Standards has been called to investigate the Health Secretary over three potential violations of the MP’s Code of Conduct, following revelations in the Daily Telegraph.
Mr Hunt, who has a personal fortune of more than £14 million, initially failed to declare his 50 per cent interest in the property firm to Companies House - a criminal offence that fell foul of anti-money laundering legislation introduced by the Tories and punishable by a fine or up to two years in prison.
In addition to breaching the Companies Act on two counts, Mr Hunt also failed to disclose his interest in the property firm on the Parliamentary Register of Members’ interests within the required 28 days. He took nearly five months to declare his 50 per cent shareholding in Mare Pond Properties.
Mr Hunt later corrected the errors and apologised to parliamentary authorities after accepting the mistakes were “his responsibility”.
But Jon Trickett, Labour’s shadow secretary for the Cabinet Office, wrote to Kathryn Stone, the standards commissioner, requesting she look into a “potentially serious breach of the standards relating to financial interests” by Mr Hunt.
The document, seen by the Daily Telegraph, says: “Mr Hunt’s actions fall outside of the principles of the Code, namely integrity, accountability, openness and honesty. The rules make it clear: Members ‘must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.’ It seems this has not happened.”
It asks the commissioner to investigate if any conflict of interest breach may have occurred, as well as whether his actions have caused damage to the “reputation and integrity of the House.”
It adds Mr Hunt “would have had ample opportunity to familiarise himself with the rules” during his 13 years as an MP and eight as a minister.
Mr Trickett said Mr Hunt’s breaches are “simply unacceptable and especially so given the secretary of state's position at the heart of Theresa May's government.”
“Any minister flouting the rules designed to prevent big financial interests corrupting politics must be held to account, especially when that minister’s own government introduced the rules.”
The standards commissioner is in charge of investigating MP breaches of the Code of Conduct. In an event that a case raises “serious issues”, the commissioner would refer it to the Committee on Standards, which would decide on any sanctions.
Sir Alistair Graham, the former chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said: “It is a very poor show when ministers, who you expect to take leadership in standards and public life, do not meet the rules they are required to meet.”
