Nigel Adams: By-election could be called amid peerage reports

People in parts of the Harrogate district could be set for a by-election amid reports that MP Nigel Adams is in line for a peerage.

According to The Observer, Mr Johnson is planning to award peerages to both Mr Adams and culture secretary Nadine Dorries. Both are regarded as key allies.

The awarding of a peerage would trigger a by-election, which could prove an early test for Mr Johnson’s successor.

Mr Adams, whose Selby and Ainsty constituency includes Spofforth, Follifoot, Huby and Weeton, is currently a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office.

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Mr Adams has already announced he will be standing down at the next general election, which is due to take place in 2024.

He was first elected in 2010 and has defended the seat in three subsequent elections.

He currently holds the Selby and Ainsty seat with a majority of 20,137.

The Stray Ferret has approached Mr Adams for comment.

‘No further action’ after Harrogate peer breached Lords code

No further action will be taken against a Harrogate peer who breached the House of Lords code of conduct, the standards commissioner has said.

Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate was found to have committed a “minor breach” of the code after he did not make clear the nature of business of one of the companies of which he is a director.

A report published on Thursday by the Lords commissioner for standards, Martin Jelley QPM, said Lord Kirkhope was one of 24 peers to commit a breach.

However, he said the matter was resolved by each peer providing a description of the registered companies.

Mr Jelley said:

“Apart from the Duke of Wellington, the other 24 members committed a minor and inadvertent breach of the code of conduct by failing to provide a description of companies they had registered. 

“Each of them has resolved the breach to my satisfaction and I consider that no further sanction is necessary.”

The complaint against Lord Kirkhope followed allegations made by UnlockDemocracy, a London-based pressure group.

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Tom Brake, director of the group, wrote to Mr Jelley to allege that 39 peers had breached paragraph 53 of the House of Lords code of conduct, which says a peer should “give a broad indication of the company’s business, where this is not self-evident from its name”.

It said Lord Kirkhope did not make clear the nature of business of Reading-based Brass Trustees Limited, of which he has been a director since June last year.

The other peers investigated include Lord Sugar, the former Tottenham Hotspur chairman and founder of electronics company Amstrad.

Mr Jelley added in his report:

“It is the responsibility of members to ensure that entries within the register of interests are correct and up to date. It is in everyone’s interest that matters are reported accurately and fully.”

As Timothy Kirkhope, he was MP for Leeds North East and MEP for Yorkshire before being created a life peer in 2016. He has a keen interest in local radio.

The Stray Ferret has approached Lord Kirkhope for comment.

Harrogate Conservative peer under investigation over financial interest

A Harrogate Conservative peer is under investigation by the House of Lords standards commissioner over a financial interest.

Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate is alleged to be in breach of the Lords code of conduct because his register of interests did not make clear the nature of business of one of the companies of which he is a director.

First reported by Open Democracy, the allegation was made by UnlockDemocracy, a pressure group based in London, in a letter to Martin Jelley, the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards.

It says Lord Kirkhope did not make clear the nature of business of Reading-based Brass Trustees Limited, of which he has been a director since June last year.

The letter, which was sent by Tom Brake, director of the pressure group, says that under paragraph 53 of the House of Lords code of conduct a peer should “give a broad indication of the company’s business, where this is not self-evident from its name”.

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Mr Brake goes on to list 39 other peers, including Lord Sugar and Lord Pickles, who he alleges appear to have done the same. However, he adds that the alleged breach may be unintentional.

He said in the letter:

“I believe that the following peers, unintentionally I imagine, are in breach of this paragraph of the code of conduct and that greater clarity about the business of the companies listed below would be welcomed by the public. 

“I do not believe it could be claimed that the nature of their business is self-evident.”

The standards commissioner has since opened investigations into 24 peers over their register of interests, which includes Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate.

As Timothy Kirkhope, he was MP for Leeds North East and MEP for Yorkshire before being created a life peer in 2016. He has a keen interest in local radio.

Lord Sugar, the former Tottenham Hotspur chairman and founder of electronics company Amstrad, is also part of the probe over his interest as director of Harper Fox Partner Ltd.

The Stray Ferret approached Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate for comment on the investigation, but did not receive a response by time of publication.