Committee of Standards and Privilages member Andrew Dismore MP has been reported to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards in light of allegations about his expenses. In a letter to the Commissioner for Standards, The Sunlight Centre for Open Politics set out possible breaches of the 2003 Green Book Rules that applied at the time. A full text of the letter is included below.

Mr Dismore is under intense pressure to step down from his committee role, especially given the precedent has been set by David Curry MP, who when finding himself in very similar circumstances last Friday rightly stood down from the Committee while he is under investigation.

Harry Cole from the Sunlight Centre said “The Committee should command the trust and full confidence of not only Parliament, but of the public as well. That is, we believe, not possible while Mr Dismore remains a member.”

The letter stated:

Mr John Lyon CB,
Commissioner
Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

Sent by post and by fax to : 020 7219 0490

23rd November 2009

Dear Mr Lyon,

We are writing to ask you to investigate Andrew Dismore MP, a member of the Standards and Privileges Committee. Records show that between 2001 and 2003 Mr Dismore claimed £34,000 for a second home property, despite his constituency being just eight miles from Westminster. The Daily Telegraph, who have a proven track record in this field, have reported that Mr Dismore’s partner used that publically funded property to run a “homeopathic surgery”. In 2003 it appears Mr Dismore “flipped” his second home allocation and claimed an additional £31,000 for what was formally designated as his Main Home. In light of the less than clear explanation and attempted justifications reported from Mr Dismore, we believe that there is a prima facie case to answer here under Section 3.2.1. b of the Green Book (2003) in that it is open to question that this was necessary for the purpose of performing his parliamentary duties. We also ask did Mr Dismore comply with Section 3.6.1. (Documentation Needed) and supply “a copy of the relevant agreement with your tenant or lodger” in respect of the “homeopathic surgery”.

We do not feel that the current intense public disquiet with the situation concerning Mr Dismore’s expenses is compatible with Mr Dismore remaining on the Standards and Privileges Committee. A precedent has been set by David Curry MP, who when finding himself in very similar circumstances just last Friday decided, rightly in our view, to stand down from the Committee while he is under investigation. Given the fact that you, as the Commissioner for Standards report to this committee you must be all to aware of the obvious conflict of interest. The Committee should command the trust and full confidence of not only Parliament, but of the public as well. That is, we believe, not possible while Mr Dismore remains a member.

Yours sincerely,

Harry Cole
harry@sunlight-cops.org.uk

Published on November 23rd, 2009 by Harry Cole