Should MP be in the doghouse?
GREYHOUND INTEREST ROW
FIERY Labour MP Ian Lavery has faced a fresh controversy after he was accused of failing to declare an interest in greyhound racing.
Liberal Democrats have submitted a complaint about the senior MP to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
They say the former miner should have registered his interest in the sport because he is co-chairman of the AllParty Parliamentary Greyhound Group.
Wansbeck MP Mr Lavery, the Labour Party chairman, has never hidden his involvement in the sport, and told the BBC’s Daily Politics show in 2014 that he owned seven dogs and had been involved in greyhound racing for 30 years.
The all-party group says its aim is “to raise Parliamentary awareness of issues relating to the greyhound industry and “to promote the sport and related welfare issues”.
House of Commons rules state MPs must reveal in the Register of Members’ Interests any financial interest or material benefit which “might reasonably be thought by others to influence his or her actions or words as a Member”.
Greg Stone, deputy chairman of the North East Lib Dems, has written to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards calling for an inquiry and reporting that Mr Lavery owns two dogs
The website HuffPost UK reported that the letter states: “The sums won by these greyhounds are significant. Blue Artisan won £6,000 in June 2010 in a single race...and a further £2,500 as runner-up in the Ladbrokes Gold Cup two months later.” It continues: “It appears that Mr Lavery had never consulted the registrar regarding this specific matter, so there is no clarity around the extent of Mr Lavery’s business involvement, his financial commitment to the industry or of any interests he might have which would affect his role with the APPG on greyhound racing.”
Mr Stone said: “The important thing here is that there are clear rules of transparency. It’s important that there is full disclosure of relevant interests.”
Mr Lavery’s office declined to comment.
The MP has been in the spotlight after BBC2’s Newsnight reported that he received £165,000 from the 10-member trade union he ran.
A report from the Certification Office for Trade Unions and Employers Associations shows Mr Lavery was lent £72,500 to purchase a property from the National Union of Mineworkers’ Provident and Benevolent Fund. This loan was written off in 2007.
It added that Mr Lavery and his wife kept £18,000 from an endowment policy taken out on the property.
The regulator decided not to pursue a further investigation into the issue and Mr Lavery said: “This report should draw a line under almost two years of allegations and innuendo directed at me and my former colleagues.”