Hunt ‘discount’ flats purchase investigated

JEREMY HUNT allegedly received a “bulk discount” for the seven luxury flats he bought through a company in a purchase now being investigated by the parliamentary watchdog following revelations by The Daily Telegraph.

The flats, bought at the start of the year through Mare Pond Properties, were developed by a firm owned and chaired by Nicolas James Roach, a Conservative donor.

Mr Roach has donated more than £50,000 to the Health Secretary’s constituency office since 2011. A spokesman for Mr Hunt said the developer is a “long-standing acquaintance”.

The Guardian claimed Mr Hunt received a “bulk discount” for buying multiple apartments in the development. A spokesman for Mr Hunt declined to comment.

A spokesman for Mr Roach said all sales at Alexandra Wharf were at “open market value”, adding that the developer’s political donations had been properly declared on the Electoral Commission website. A spokesman for Mr Hunt said the minister “paid standard market rates which would have been available to anyone else making an equivalent purchase”.

Mr Hunt faces a formal investigation by the parliamentary watchdog over breaches he made when setting up a company to buy the flats, a week after he was forced to apologise for failing to report his interest in the company.

Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary standards commissioner, yesterday announced an inquiry into whether he breached the MPS’ Code of Conduct.

Mr Hunt, who has a personal fortune of more than £14million, initially failed to declare his 50 per cent interest in Mare Pond Properties to Companies House – a criminal offence that fell foul of anti-money laundering legislation introduced by the Tories and punishable by a fine or up to two years in prison.

Mr Hunt also failed to disclose his interest in the property firm on the Parliamentary Register of Members’ Interests within the required 28 days. He took nearly five months to declare his shareholding.

He later corrected the errors and apologised after accepting the mistakes were “his responsibility”. He said the Companies House breaches were down to an “honest mistake” by his accountant.