MP is to appeal against his suspension from Commons
CONSERVATIVE MP Andrew Bridgen is appealing against his suspension from the House of Commons for a series of lobbying rules breaches.
The suspension was recommended after the North West Leicestershire MP, was found to have broken the rules of conduct.
The backbencher had previously accepted the findings of an investigation, but has now said he is referring the Commons’ Standards Committee’s decision to Parliament’s Independent Expert Panel.
Following the recommendation by the cross-party committee earlier this month that he be suspended, Mr Bridgen said: “While I am extremely disappointed with the recommendations of the committee, I accept them and will comply with them as required to do so.”
However, his appeal was confirmed in a letter to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle from the panel’s chairman, Stephen Irwin.
The committee recommended a five-day suspension for his offences.
They included an “unacceptable attack upon the integrity” of standards commissioner Kathryn Stone based on what the committee said were “false allegations”.
An investigation also found Mr Bridgen breached the MPS’ code of conduct “on registration, declaration and paid lobbying on multiple occasions and in multiple ways”.
The standards committee said Mr Bridgen had a “very cavalier attitude” towards to the rules.
Mr Bridgen received a donation, a funded visit to Ghana from Cheshire firm, Mere Plantations, and had a £12,000 contract to be an adviser which he had failed to tell ministers and officials about.