Yahoo News Watchdog launches formal investigation into Jeremy Hunt
The Parliamentary sleaze watchdog has launched a formal investigation into Jeremy Hunt over breaches he made when setting up a company to buy seven luxury flats.
The investigation comes a week after the Health Secretary was forced to apologise for failing to report his interest in the company, following revelations by the Daily Telegraph.
Kathryn Stone, the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, today announced she will be focusing on whether the Health Secretary breached the MP Code of Conduct.
Mr Hunt, who has a personal fortune of more than £14 million, initially failed to declare his 50 per cent interest in Mare Pond Properties 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.
Mr Hunt later corrected the errors and apologised to parliamentary authorities after accepting the mistakes were “his responsibility”. He said the Companies House breaches were down to an “honest mistake” by his accountant.
The standards commissioner is in charge of investigating MP breaches of the Parliamentary code of conduct.
Her inquiry will focus on whether Mr Hunt breached paragraph 13 of the code, which says: "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."
Mr Hunt is the only Cabinet minister being investigated by the commissioner. The eight other inquiries are into MPs including Keith Vaz and Ian Paisley.
Jon Trickett, the shadow Cabinet Office secretary, said last week: “Mr Hunt’s actions fall outside of the principles of the Code, namely integrity, accountability, openness and honesty.
He added that 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.
The standards commissioner has an agreement with the Metropolitan police that, if she considers her investigation has uncovered evidence of possible criminality, the Standards Committee can refer it to the police.
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.”
“If there has been a failure of leadership, there should be a political price for it. Either in terms of the damage to your reputation or to action by the Prime Minister in the case of the ministerial code, or by the Committee on Standards, which reports to the full House of Commons.”
