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Met ask why Derek Conway affair 'not referred to police'

28/02/2008

The Metropolitan police have questioned why Derek Conway, the Tory MP found to have abused his expenses, was not referred to police jurisdiction.

Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan police commissioner, said he had written to the parliamentary standards commissioner John Lyon, to ask why Mr Conway had not been referred to the police force for his reputed misuse of parliamentary funds.

The MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, Mr Conway was reprimanded after it emerged he had paid his son Freddie almost £40,000 for work as a researcher, despite Freddie being a full-time student at Newcastle University.

Mr Conway has said he will stand down at the next election after having the Conservative whip withdrawn, being suspended from parliament for ten days and being ordered to repay £13,161.

However Sir Ian said that correct "protocol" for cases such as this had not been "fully followed".

Addressing the Metropolitan police Authority (MPA) on Thursday, he explained that a protocol had been agreed between the Metropolitan police service (MPS) and the previous parliamentary standards commissioner.

"It doesn't appear from the face of it that that protocol was fully followed in this particular case," he went on. "What we have done is to write to the standards commissioner and ask him whether he is going to refer the matter to the MPS, and if he isn't what are his reasons and we await that answer."

Sir Ian continued: "The MPS can - and has demonstrably - investigated matters wherever they arise. But we obviously, and as in the Electoral Commission or in the benefits department or wherever else, we start with the position that the adjudicating authority has a right and role first and we will wait and see what the answer is.

"We are just trying to follow the process but we haven't, and we are not, ignoring the situation."

A spokesperson for Mr Lyon said the standards commission's decision not to refer the matter to police remained the same as had been announced on January 31st.