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26
Jul
Boroughbridge MP declares Formula 1 freebie
Wetherby and Easingwold MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke received two free tickets for hospitality worth £1,860 at the British Grand Prix this month.
The latest Register of Members’ Financial Interests reveals the Conservative MP went to Silverstone on July 4 to watch a race in which Charles Leclerc overcame Britain’s Lewis Hamilton to finish top of the podium.
The donor is listed as The Jimmy Brown Centre, which is the administrative building at Silverstone in Northamptonshire.
The Stray Ferret asked Sir Alec how the trip to Silverstone came about and who he attended with.
A spokesperson said he went with a member of staff, adding:
“This wasn’t a gift, it was organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Formula 1, of which Sir Alec is a member, and attended with a delegation of MPs cross-party. The rules on declarations state that such hospitality received whilst attended must be declared, as we have done.”
This is the third sporting gift declared by Sir Alec, whose constituency includes Boroughbridge and many villages in the Harrogate district, in the last three months.
He registered two tickets for Bramham Horse Trials with access to the members' enclosure, worth £312, on June 14 and hospitality and tickets to the directors' box at Newcastle United to see a Premier League match against his team West Ham United, worth £643, on May 17.
Asked if these gifts conflicted with Sir Alec’s role as an MP or compromised him in any way, the spokesperson said:
There is no conflict, as Sir Alec’s attendance was directly linked to his role as an MP by way of membership of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Formula 1. The Silverstone weekend brought £140 million value added to the UK economy, creating jobs and opportunities for UK suppliers.
His attendance at the football and at Bramham Horse Trials were nothing to do with his role as a Member of Parliament, on both occasions he joined personal friends for a private event outside of work; however, the rules on declarations are such that even these private events need to be declared to avoid any speculation, therefore we adhere to the rules tightly.
The latest register of interests also shows that Sir Alec’s wife, Susan Shelbrooke, who had been employed as his part-time senior secretary, no longer works for him. She had worked for him since 2015.
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