MPs suspended over sexual allegations still have access passes to Westminster

Two erstwhile MPs who were suspended from the Labour enactment implicit intersexual allegations are inactive enjoying afloat entree to parliament done ‘category X’ passes.  

Simon Danczuk and Ivan Lewis are among 242 ex-members who person unescorted entree to Westminster contempt nary longer having a spot successful the House of Commons. 

Danczuk was suspended successful 2015 over allegations that helium sent explicit substance messages to a 17-year-old girl.

He resigned 2 years aboriginal connected the grounds that Labour had fallen into the hands of the ‘far left’ and the frontbench was ‘continually obsessing astir Karl Marx’. 

The erstwhile Rochdale MP utilized his walk connected six days past twelvemonth and 3 successful the twelvemonth to date, information released nether the Freedom of Information Act shows.  

In 2016, helium was ordered to repay £11,583.20 by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority aft admitting an disbursal claims ‘error’.

Danczuk present describes himself arsenic an ‘author, talker and concern consultant’ connected his Facebook profile. 

He said: ‘I resigned from the Labour Party successful 2017 due to the fact that it was being led by a acold near northbound London Labour elite – this is simply a substance of nationalist record. The expenses probe to which you notation was highly flawed and if I had my clip again I would garbage to wage the wealth back.’ 

Ivan Lewis, who was suspended successful 2017 implicit allegations of intersexual harassment, is different erstwhile subordinate who inactive has entree to Westminster, utilizing his walk erstwhile this twelvemonth and erstwhile successful 2023.

The past MP for Bury South was suspended aft a pistillate told BuzzFeed that helium touched her limb and invited her to his location during a Labour enactment lawsuit 7 years earlier erstwhile she was 19.  

At the time, helium powerfully denied intersexual harassment but said helium was ‘genuinely sorry’ if helium had made immoderate pistillate helium worked with to consciousness awkward by asking them retired ‘for drinks oregon dinner, oregon developed beardown feelings for them’. 

Lewis resigned from Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour enactment successful 2018 successful a missive accusing the past person of failing to enactment implicit anti-semitism and ‘Jew hatred’. He said that helium had been suspended for 12 months contempt having not been interviewed with an ‘unnecessary and politically motivated delay’ to the disciplinary process. 

In emails to Metro.co.uk, the erstwhile MP said that helium had been ‘completely exonerated’ by an autarkic probe into the ailment conducted by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.  

He added: ‘Therefore, determination is nary crushed I should not clasp an ex-MP’s pass.’ 

Damian Green, who was sacked from Theresa May’s furniture successful 2017 aft a Cabinet Office study recovered helium had breached the ministerial code, besides appears successful the list.  

Green was recovered to person made ‘inaccurate and misleading’ statements implicit what helium knew astir claims that pornography was discovered connected his bureau machine astir a decennary earlier.

At the time, helium denied that helium had either downloaded oregon viewed pornography connected a machine which had been removed from his Commons office.  

Green has been added to the database aft failing to triumph backmost his Ashford spot successful the May General Election, with the information showing helium has utilized his walk 3 times up to the extremity of August.

David Ruffley, who received a constabulary caution successful 2014 for a communal battle connected his erstwhile partner, is besides a passholder.

Ruffley was the Conservative MP for Bury St Edmunds earlier lasting down successful the 2015 General Election.  

In a missive sent to his section Conservative relation confirming that helium would not stand, helium apologised for what helium said was a ‘very regrettable incident’ and said a ‘protracted media debate’ astir his backstage beingness would not beryllium successful the champion interests of the party.  

Ruffley made 1 sojourn this twelvemonth and different successful 2023, the information released by the House of Commons aft a petition by Metro.co.uk shows.  

Peter Lapham, who campaigns against serving MPs and Lords having 2nd jobs, said: ‘Every leader I’ve ever known operated the argumentation that if you were suspended past immoderate walk you had, whether it was a gathering oregon machine pass, was voided by the IT section with the hour.

‘When I worked arsenic a civilian servant you had to motion the Official Secrets Act and, nary doubt, you were bound by different laws, too.  

‘Regardless of your lasting oregon position, if you were suspended you had to manus successful immoderate passes oregon keys. I can’t spot wherefore this isn’t the aforesaid for MPs arsenic they are civilian servants, too, and therefore, bound by the aforesaid laws and principles successful the work of the public.’ 

In total, erstwhile MPs accessed parliament connected 1,041 days implicit 2023 and the existent twelvemonth up to August 24, the dataset shows.  

Alistair Burt, the erstwhile Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire, was the astir predominant holder, making 31 visits implicit the timeframe.  

Ex-MPs who person served much than 2 parliamentary presumption oregon six years — whichever is longer — whitethorn use for a Former Member Pass.

The Commons maintains that holders person limited, unescorted entree to the parliamentary estate, including certain areas for meetings and immoderate catering facilities during specified hours. 

In 2023, an probe by Peter Geoghegan, writer of the best-selling publication Democracy for Sale and the Substack newsletter of the aforesaid name, recovered that galore passholders were lobbyists, including for the atomic industry, the gambling lobby and the state boiler industry.

Geoghegan told Metro.co.uk that the strategy of providing passes to erstwhile MPs is ‘the precise other of unfastened government’. 

‘There a immense transparency achromatic spread erstwhile it comes to erstwhile MPs utilizing the parliamentary estate,’ helium said.

‘Suspended ex-MPs tin usage their X passes with impunity but the nationalist is not allowed to cognize thing astir this.

‘It’s the precise other of unfastened government.’  

The Commons maintains that passholders are required to travel a intelligibly advertised behaviour codification portion connected the estate, with the rules usually being the work of the Administration Committee. 

A spokesperson said: ‘Processes are successful spot to guarantee applications for erstwhile members passes tin lone beryllium made by those who conscionable the criteria.

‘There are limits connected the facilities erstwhile members whitethorn usage wrong parliament and they are forbidden from utilizing their walk successful transportation with lobbying activity.’  

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