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31
May
Confusion over whether MP broke rules on use of public funds
Confusion has broken out over whether former Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones broke the parliamentary code governing MPs’ use of public funds, the Stray Ferret can reveal.
Back in December, Knaresborough resident Ryan Kett made a complaint to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) about Mr Jones’ political website activity, claiming it amounted to a “potential misuse of public funds”.
Mr Jones, who was until yesterday's Dissolution of Parliament the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, had been collecting data about constituents’ voting intentions via his website, which is funded through parliamentary expenses, under the guise of a ‘health survey’ over a period of around six months.
This is not allowed by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), whose rules explicitly prohibit MPs from carrying out surveys to support campaign activity.
IPSA investigated and in a letter to Mr Jones dated February 9, IPSA compliance officer Jonathon Blair-Tidewell wrote:
I have reached the conclusion there has been no breach of the ‘MPs’ Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses’. This matter is now closed.
But Mr Kett received a less final response. In a letter seen by the Stray Ferret, Mr Blair-Tidewell said he found that Mr Jones had “acted in accordance with the guidance set out in the Scheme for MP’s Staffing and Business Costs" and that he would not be initiating a formal investigation, adding: “This matter will now be closed.”
But he also said that IPSA was still considering the matter of Mr Jones asking for an indication of voting rights in the website survey. He wrote:
I have raised this with IPSA Policy, who are considering this. I will write to you again to inform you of their view on this matter.
On May 9, he wrote again to Mr Kett about the matter, saying:
Having discussed this issue widely with the relevant policy leads within IPSA and also having reviewed a number of other MPs’ webpages, I am content this is a breach of the Scheme (specifically Rules & eligibility) which prohibits MPs’ from undertaking surveys to support campaign activity.
But Mr Blair-Tidewell did not apparently relay this information to Mr Jones, who told the Stray Ferret:
"At no point have I received a letter stating that I have breached IPSA’s code, so I was quite surprised to see this story."
IPSA's letter to Mr Jones (left) saying there was "no breach" of the guidelines, and (right) IPSA's letter to Mr Kett saying there was indeed a breach.
Such was the confusion arising from IPSA’s apparently contradictory advice to the MP and his constituent, that Mr Kett was until recently considering legal action against Mr Jones.
In March, Mr Jones wrote to Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey to complain about a series of actions and tactics allegedly employed by the Lib Dems. In his letter he referred to “Another local Lib Dem activist, Ryan Kett, making unfounded claims to IPSA alleging misuse of Parliamentary funds”, adding “IPSA rejected the allegations in full”.
This was after IPSA had told Mr Jones there had been “no breach” of the guidelines, but before he had told Mr Kett that there had indeed been a breach.
Mr Kett says that he was not a Lib Dem activist – in fact, he was a member of the Yorkshire Party at the time and stood as a candidate for that party in the May local elections.
Mr Kett told the Stray Ferret:
I feel somewhat vindicated by the Compliance Officer's conclusion, but also a little sad that we are currently being represented locally by somebody who has shown himself to be inherently dishonest.
In response to Mr Kett’s allegation that he was “inherently dishonest” and had acted illegally, Mr Jones wrote to IPSA, asking Mr Blair-Tidewell for his view of these two claims.
In his response dated May 22, Mr Blair-Tidewell wrote:
It is not within my remit to decide whether an MP’s actions are legal or illegal and I did not find that Mr Jones acted illegally.
He added:
In neither my finding of 9th February 2024 which dealt with the funding of Mr Jones’s website, or my direction of 9th May 2024, which dealt with the hosting of surveys on the MP’s website, did I find that Mr Jones had acted with inherent dishonesty.
Mr Kett has since decided to abandon his case against Mr Jones. He said:
I am no longer considering legal action against Andrew Jones or any other party. I have accepted the opportunity to stand for the Yorkshire Party in the Selby constituency, which is a more productive use of my time.
I don’t see the point in pursuing a legal case against a soon-to-be former MP – it is quite enough for me to see Andrew Jones lose his job on July 4.
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