MPs should not be expected to be “saints”, the new chair of the Commons standards committee has said, as he called for punishments for breaking minor rules to be less severe. In an interview with The House magazine, Conservative Alberto Costa suggested that where a “minor failing” at work did not involve corruption, MPs should not have to “stand up and publicly apologise”. MPs have to follow a strict code of conduct governing lobbying, payments for parliamentary advice and declaring interests, while also upholding the reputation of Parliament. Breaching these rules can result in an MP being investigated, with the cross-party standards committee determining sanctions in more serious cases. The standards committee is always chaired by a member of the main opposition party in the Commons. Costa was elected to the role in September in a vote of all MPs, replacing Labour’s Harriet Harman.
Source link
