Menzies Scandal: Ethics adviser must investigate Conservative Chief Whip

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The Liberal Democrats have called on the ethics adviser to launch an investigation into whether the Conservative Chief Whip broke the ministerial code over failing to act earlier on the Mark Menzies scandal.

The Times has reported that the scandal was reported to the Conservative Chief Whip Simon Hart in January, but that he failed to act and passed the case to CCHQ despite the fact the case involved allegations against a sitting MP involving parliamentary staff.

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper has written to the ethics adviser Laurie Magnus warning this failure to act appears to be a breach of  the Ministerial Code, which states that: “Ministers of the Crown are expected to maintain high standards of behaviour and to behave in a way that upholds the highest standards of propriety.”

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said:

“By failing to take any action or alerting the appropriate authorities, Simon Hart appears to have knowingly left in place an MP who, on the basis of the allegations, would have been vulnerable to blackmail and coercion.

“It’s completely shocking that the Conservative Party sat on their hands on this scandal for more than three months. It is now only right that Hart is investigated for potentially breaching the ministerial code.

“This scandal is yet another insult to the British public and shows why this Conservative Government needs to be kicked out of office.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

Full letter below.

To: Sir Laurie Magnus CBE, Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests

Dear Sir Laurie,

I am writing to ask that you investigate Simon Hart, the Conservative Chief Whip, for potential breaches of the Ministerial Code in his handling of the scandal involving Mark Menzies MP, as revealed today by the Times.

The Times reports that, “at the start of January, [Mr Menzies’ former campaign manager] reported what had happened to the Conservative chief whip, Simon Hart, detailing Menzies’s misuse of donors’ money and the alleged ‘abuse of privilege’ in pressuring staff into handing over their own savings for his personal use.”

However, it says the case was subsequently transferred from the whip’s office to CCHQ.

Given that this case reportedly involves allegations against a sitting MP in relation to parliamentary staff (his constituency officer manager and a “junior employee”), it seems completely inappropriate for the Conservative Chief Whip to pass it off to the party’s campaign headquarters, rather than raising it with the relevant parliamentary authorities.

By failing to take any action or alert the appropriate authorities, Mr Hart appears to have knowingly left in place an MP who was clearly vulnerable to blackmail and coercion. This is incredibly dangerous and damaging to the security of our democracy.

It would appear that Mr Hart, as a government minister, has breached the very first paragraph of the Ministerial Code, which states:

“Ministers of the Crown are expected to maintain high standards of behaviour and to behave in a way that upholds the highest standards of propriety.”

I therefore ask you urgently to investigate Mr Hart’s conduct in this matter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Daisy Cooper MP - Deputy Leader of Liberal Democrats