Boss of MPs’ watchdog broke rules but keeps job

THE chairman of Parliament’s standards watchdog is to keep his job despite his own committee finding him guilty of breaching the MPs’ code of conduct.

Sir Kevin Barron, head of the Commons Standards Committee, broke the rules by accepting payment for hosting events for a drug company in Parliament.

But his committee recommended no further action following the ‘minor’ breach.

Sir Kevin had stepped aside as chairman while the probe was taking place. Last night he said he would be resuming the role.

But a former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life said it was ‘not satisfactory’ that Sir Kevin had been investigated by his colleagues. Sir Alistair Graham said: ‘I’d like to see reforms so there is a majority on the committee of lay members – members of the public rather than MPs, so that there is proper accountability if there is a breach of the code of conduct.’

Sir Kevin referred himself to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner after his links to the Japanese Pharmaceutical Group were reported by a newspaper.

The Labour MP for Rother Valley entered into an agreement with JPG in 2011 and sponsored three events in Parliament.

Money from JPG was donated to the Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, and the com- mittee’s report found that three cheques to the charity, each for £3,000, were registered in Sir Kevin’s entry in the Commons register of members’ interests.

Commissioner Kathryn Hudson found that Sir Kevin breached rules which state that private dining rooms ‘are not to be used for the direct or indirect financial or material gain by a sponsor’.

But she said: ‘I consider this breach to be at the least serious end of the spectrum.

‘There was nothing untoward in Sir Kevin booking the dining room for the use of a third party. The breach of the rules arose because, in his agreement for the provision of services, Sir Kevin said that he might sponsor the occasional event in Parliament.’

In its conclusions, the committee agreed with the commissioner that Sir Kevin ‘was in breach of the code in accepting payment of any kind linked to the use of House facilities’.

It added: ‘We agree with her conclusion that the inquiry has raised no doubts over Kevin Barron’s integrity and honesty.’

Last night Sir Kevin acknowledged his ‘mistake’ but said there were ‘ no serious breaches’ of the rules. He added:‘I will be resuming my duties as chair of the committee on standards and the committee of privileges. I am delighted to return to this role.’

‘Least serious end of the spectrum’