The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
MSP just weeks in job faces conduct inquiry
Tory may face ‘serious’ sanctions claim
A north-east MSP is facing a standards probe – just weeks after taking office.
Conservative Liam Kerr could face “very serious” sanctions after he was accused of “playing fast and loose with parliamentary rules”.
The Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life has been asked to launch an investigation amid allegations he “used public money for self-aggrandisement” and “to promote the Tory party”.
A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives branded the complaint “politically motivated” and said there was no intention of wrong doing. But a senior SNP source claimed the incident showed “remarkably poor judgment”.
Aberdeen resident Daniel Forbes raised the matter after he received a letter from Mr Kerr thanking “everyone who voted Conservative” in the May election. Mr Forbes said he was concerned that the letters, which used parliamentary stationery, had been sent and paid for “out of the public purse”.
The Bucksburn and Newhills community council member said he thought it was “clear” Mr Kerr was “misusing parliamentary resources” to “curry favour for the Conservative Party among local community groups”.
An SNP source added: “While it seems, on the face of it, a clear breach of the rules it’s right and proper that alleged misuse of public resources for party political purposes is fully considered by Commissioner for Ethical Standards. If the complaint is upheld, the potential sanctions for Mr Kerr could be very serious indeed.
“It shows remarkably poor judgment to think it is OK to use public money for self-aggrandisement or to promote the Tory party.”
Mr Kerr was one of four list MSPs elected for the Scottish Conservatives in the north-east during their impressive performance in May’s Scottish elections. The party returned a total of 31 MSPs to Holyrood – more than double the number they had in 2011.
A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: “This is clearly a politically motivated complaint. It’s also quite clear that Mr Kerr did not intend to breach any of the rules and that he was simply making himself available to constituents following his recent election.”