September 30th 2024.
According to a recent data release, it has been revealed that nearly 250 former Members of Parliament (MPs) still hold access to the houses of parliament. This includes two former MPs who were suspended from the Labour party due to sexual allegations, yet still have full access through 'category X' passes. Simon Danczuk and Ivan Lewis are among the 242 ex-members who can freely enter Westminster without an escort, despite no longer holding a seat in the House of Commons.
Danczuk, who was suspended in 2015 for sending explicit text messages to a 17-year-old girl, resigned two years later. In his resignation, he cited his disappointment in the direction of the Labour party under the leadership of the 'far left' and their constant focus on Karl Marx. Last year, he made use of his pass on six separate occasions, and has used it three times this year, as shown in the data released under the Freedom of Information Act. In 2016, he was also ordered to repay £11,583.20 after admitting to a mistake in his expense claims.
Currently, Danczuk describes himself as an 'author, speaker, and business consultant' on his Facebook profile. When asked about his resignation from the Labour party, he stated that it was due to the party being led by a 'far left north London Labour elite', which is a matter of public record. He also addressed the expenses investigation, calling it flawed, and claiming that if given the chance, he would refuse to pay the money back.
Ivan Lewis, who was suspended in 2017 over allegations of sexual harassment, is another former member who still holds access to Westminster. He has used his pass once this year and once in 2023. Lewis, who was the MP for Bury South, was suspended after a woman accused him of touching her leg and inviting her to his house during a Labour party event when she was 19. While he denied the sexual harassment allegations, he did apologize for any discomfort he may have caused by asking women he worked with out for drinks or dinner.
Lewis resigned from the Labour party in 2018, citing the failure of then-leader Jeremy Corbyn to address issues of anti-Semitism and 'Jew hatred'. He also mentioned being suspended for 12 months without being interviewed, and accused the disciplinary process of being unnecessarily delayed due to political motivations. In emails to The Agency, Lewis stated that he had been completely cleared of the complaint by an independent investigation conducted by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, and therefore, sees no reason why he should not hold a former MP's pass.
The list of former MPs with access to parliament also includes Damian Green, who was sacked from Theresa May's cabinet in 2017 for breaching the ministerial code. This came after a report found that he had made 'inaccurate and misleading' statements about pornography being found on his office computer. At the time, Green denied ever downloading or viewing pornography on the computer, which had been removed from his Commons office. He has used his pass three times this year, after failing to win back his Ashford seat in the May General Election.
Another former MP with access to the parliamentary estate is David Ruffley, who received a police caution in 2014 for assaulting his former partner. Ruffley, who was the Conservative MP for Bury St Edmunds, stepped down in the 2015 General Election. In a letter to his local Conservative association, he apologized for the incident and stated that a media debate on his private life would not benefit the party. The data released by the House of Commons shows that he has used his pass once this year and once in 2023.
Peter Lapham, who campaigns against serving MPs and Lords having second jobs, expressed his concerns about suspended MPs still holding passes. He mentioned that in every job he has had, if someone was suspended, all their passes and keys were immediately voided by the IT department. He also stated that as MPs are civil servants, they should be held to the same laws and principles as any other employee.
In total, former MPs have accessed parliament for 1,041 days between 2023 and the current year up to August 24. Alistair Burt, the former Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire, has visited the most frequently, with 31 visits in the given timeframe. Ex-MPs who have served more than two parliamentary terms or six years are eligible to apply for a Former Member Pass. The Commons maintains that passholders have limited, unescorted access to specific areas of the parliamentary estate, such as meeting rooms and catering facilities during designated hours.
However, in 2023, an investigation by Peter Geoghegan revealed that many passholders were lobbyists for various industries, including nuclear, gambling, and gas boilers. Geoghegan, author of Democracy for Sale, expressed his concerns about the lack of transparency in this system, stating that it goes against the concept of open government. He also mentioned that suspended ex-MPs can still use their passes without any consequences, while the public is not allowed to know anything about it.
The Commons maintains that passholders are required to follow a behavior code during their time on the estate, and that the rules are the responsibility of the Administration Committee. A spokesperson also stated that there are processes in place to ensure that only eligible individuals can apply for a former member pass, and that passholders are not allowed to use their pass for lobbying activities.
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