Lammy under investigation over alleged breaches of code of conduct for MPs

The parliamentary standards commissioner has launched an investigation over allegations that Labour MP and shadow frontbencher David Lammy breached the rules in relation to the requirements for making financial declarations.

Commenting on the investigation, which was opened last week, a spokesperson for the Shadow Foreign Secretary said Lammy has “put revised systems in place” to ensure that declarations are made in a “timely manner”.

“David Lammy takes his declaration responsibilities seriously and as soon as this was brought to his attention he wrote to registrar of members’ financial interests to apologise for the administrative errors in his office which led to late declarations in December last year,” they said.

Lammy is being investigated under paragraph 14 of the MPs’ code of conduct, which states that MPs must “fulfil conscientiously” the requirements “in respect of the registration of interests in the register of members’ financial interests”.

The code stipulates that MPs should “always be open and frank in drawing attention to any relevant interest in any proceeding of the House or its committees, and in any communications with ministers, members, public officials or public office holders”.

The Labour frontbencher is under investigation over four matters, relating to registration of interests under category one (employment and earnings), category three (gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources), category four (visits outside the UK) and category eight of the guide to the rules (miscellaneous).

Lammy did not declare a number of interests within the 28-day period required under parliamentary rules, including a speech he gave in the US about the invasion of Ukraine. A payment of £3,280 received on December 1st for a second speaking engagement was not registered until May 27th.

Keir Starmer is also currently under investigation by the Commons watchdog. An investigation into the late declaration of financial interests by Starmer was opened on June 8th.

Commenting on the investigation, the Labour leader said he was “absolutely confident” that he had done nothing wrong, saying: “There’s no problem here.” He added: “My office is dealing with it and will be replying in due course.”