8^th September 2017, London – In response to an investigation by the Telegraph alleging that Ian Paisley Jnr. MP accepted holidays worth £100,000 from the Sri Lankan Government, Duncan Hames, Director of Policy Transparency International UK, said:

“Members of Parliament are elected to work in the public interest on behalf of their constituents, not serving the private interests of others. That’s why MPs have an obligation to make declarations in the Register of Members’ Interests, and to draw attention to these entries when they may be considered to present a conflict of interest.” 

“These are very serious allegations, and the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner should make investigating them a top priority. Any unnecessary delay to resolving this matter would only damage public confidence in Parliament’s ability to police its standards for MPs’ conduct.”

***ENDS***

Contact
Dominic Kavakeb
020 3096 7695
079 6456 0340
Dominic.kavakeb@transparency.org.uk