Commenting on his letter Graham Jones said: "Grant Shapps has broken the Ministerial Code and it’s terrible that he’s used legal action to bully an innocent constituent. He has repeatedly failed to tell the truth over his second job and only did so when forced. Yet somehow this man remains at the head of the Tory election campaign."
"David Cameron is looking the other way and refusing to act, yet again content to see wrongdoing amongst his senior team and standing up for the wrong people. If David Cameron is too weak to act, the Parliamentary authorities must do so. There must now be a full investigation into Grant Shapps’ conduct." Mr Jones added.
Full text of the letter from Graham Jones MP to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, sent today:
"David Cameron is looking the other way and refusing to act, yet again content to see wrongdoing amongst his senior team and standing up for the wrong people. If David Cameron is too weak to act, the Parliamentary authorities must do so. There must now be a full investigation into Grant Shapps’ conduct." Mr Jones added.
Full text of the letter from Graham Jones MP to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, sent today:
Dear Commissioner,
I am writing to urge you to launch an investigation in to whether Grant Shapps, MP for Welwyn, has broken the MPs’ Code of Conduct.
I have written to the Prime Minister, but he has weakly refused to take action in yet another sign that he is content to see wrongdoing amongst his senior team and stands up for the wrong people.
There are serious questions to answer over the conduct of Mr Shapps.
It is now clear the Mr Shapps had a second job while being an MP, using the pseudonym ‘Michael Green’, despite repeatedly denying this was the case.
On 25th February 2015, Grant Shapps was asked on LBC radio whether he ever had a second job while being an MP and said: “I thought the discussion here was second jobs whilst people are MPs. To be absolutely clear. I don’t have a second job. And I have never had a second job whilst I being an MP. End of story.” Conservative Chairman Grant Shapps - Live on LBC
It is a matter of public record that Mr Shapps and the Conservative Party have maintained this position since 2012.
In November 2014, Mr Shapps used legal action to extract an apology from a constituent who referred to his previous job.
Repeatedly misleading the public in this way may be a breach of the MPs’ Code of Conduct, as Mr Shapps has not acted with “probity and integrity”, as the Code states MPs must:
The Code of Conduct together with The Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members 2012, ‘Honesty’ is one of the principles of the Code, and yet Mr Shapps’ behavior is directly contradictory to the terms outlined in the Code:
- “Members should act on all occasions in accordance with the public trust placed in them.
- They should always behave with probity and integrity, including in their use of public resources.”
The Code of Conduct together with The Guide to the Rules relating to the conduct of Members, 2012,
- “Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.”
Such a serious allegation as a breach of the MPs’ Code of Conduct should not be allowed to rest, in particular when it concerns a Minister and someone who will be running the Conservative Party election campaign. Therefore, I believe it is essential that this matter is immediately investigated.
Best wishes,
Graham Jones MP
