Harrogate district MP received free FIFA World Cup tickets from Qatar government

An MP whose constituency includes parts of the Harrogate district received free tickets and hospitality to the FIFA World Cup from the Qatar government.

The latest MPs’ register of financial interests reveals Conservative Nigel Adams received match tickets, flights and accommodation for the World Cup valued at £2,880.

Mr Adams, whose Selby and Ainsty constituency includes southern parts of the district including Spofforth and Follifoot, was part of a parliamentary delegation attending the World Cup from November 29 to December 1.

He attended a dinner with UK and Welsh government ministers hosted by the British Embassy to mark the participation of England and Wales in the tournament.

England played Wales on November 29 although Mr Adams’ entry on the register of interests does not specify which match he attended.

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Mr Adams, a former Cabinet Office minister who will step down as an MP at the next general election, declared the trip in accordance with parliamentary rules.

Eighteen months ago, he received £6,000 worth of free hospitality tickets to three England Euro 2020 matches at Wembley Stadium

Human rights 

The Qatar government was criticised for its human rights record during the World Cup.

Asked by the Stray Ferret about Mr Adams’ trip, Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said:

“It would be deeply worrying if any MP accepting hospitality from a foreign government were to feel compromised when it came to raising human rights issues.

“As we saw with the debate around the World Cup, the Qatari authorities sought to downplay some of the very serious human right issues in the country and it’s entirely likely they saw these trips as a means to win over MPs.

“Amid Qatar’s unprecedented World Cup building boom, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers were systematically exploited, and the tournament took place in a country where LGBTQ+ people run the risk of arrest and imprisonment, and where freedom of speech and women’s rights are unacceptably curtailed.”

Mr Deshmukh added:

“There is obviously an important place for parliamentary fact-finding trips, including as a means of raising human rights issues through private channels, but MPs receiving expenses from any government should ask themselves what might be expected of them in return.

“MPs’ own constituents and the wider public will expect politicians to continue to raise important human rights issues without fear or favour, regardless of whether they’ve been the recipient of a paid trip to Doha or anywhere else.”

The Stray Ferret has contacted Mr Adams about the trip but has not had a response.