Corruption probe minister under fire
LABOUR is calling for an urgent investigation after a Cabinet minister deemed it was “legitimate” for former attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox to earn hundreds of thousands of pounds advising the British Virgin Islands in a corruption probe launched by the Foreign Office.
Dominic Raab, who as foreign secretary launched the commission of inquiry into what he called “very serious” allegations over the governance of the islands, said it was useful for Parliament to have some knowledge of what was going on in the overseas territory.
But Mr Raab, who is now Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, said it is for voters to decide whether they feel Sir Geoffrey is dedicating enough time to being an MP.
The most recent register of financial interests showed that Torridge and West Devon Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey will earn more than £800,000 from Withers, an international law firm appointed by the British Virgin Islands (BVI) government in January.
But Labour’s chair Anneliese Dodds, in a letter to the Prime Minister, said: “The people of Torridge and West Devon must be wondering if Geoffrey Cox is a Caribbeanbased barrister or a Conservative MP.”
No.10 said Boris Johnson felt a MP’s duties in Parliament must come first, but would not be drawn on individual cases.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said Mr Johnson thought an “MP’s primary job is and must be to serve their constituents and to represent their interests in Parliament”.
He said: “They should be visible in their constituencies and available to help constituents with their constituency matters. If they’re not doing that, they’re not doing their job and will rightly be judged on that by their constituents.”
In the latest update to the register of financial interests published by Parliament, Sir Geoffrey disclosed that from September 28 this year until further notice, he will be paid £400,000 a year by Withers for up to 41 hours of work per month.
The documents show Sir Geoffrey also received from Withers this year:
£52,535.84 for 60 hours of work between January 25 and February 28; £45,354.48 for 55 hours of work between February 28 and March 26;
£72,569.39 for 89 hours of work between March 26 and April 29;
£156,916.08 for 140 hours of work between April 29 and May 31;
£63,143.03 for 50 hours of work between June 1 and June 30; and
£46,716.29 for 40 hours of work between July 1 and July 31.
He also registered a total of £133,603.84 for other legal work.
Ms Dodds said in her letter: “It appears that your former attorney general is profiting from advising an administration accused of corruption and tax avoidance.”
But earlier, Mr Raab told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that such an arrangement is a “legitimate thing to do as long as it is properly declared”.
The PA news agency has contacted Sir Geoffrey’s office for comment.