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The Chairman of the House of Commons Health Committee violated lobbying rules in a WhatsApp messaging exposed by The Telegraph's lockdown. Parliamentary Standards Commissioner finds investigation of files.
Supervisory Body finds Steve Russell twice failed to make it clear he was a paid advisor to Remedium Partners when contacting ministers on behalf of a healthcare recruiting firm .
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However, critics said Mr Russell “got off lightly” as he would have no further action other than “correcting” his breach with an apology and a promise not to do so again.
The decision prompted calls for the MP for Winchester to step down as chairman of the committee and raises fears that he could lose his seat in the marginal constituency in the next election.
Labor denounced his actions as yet another example of “Thorian sleaze.”
The messaging that triggered the investigation was published by The Telegraph in a cache of leaked WhatsApp messages sent and received by Matt Hancock, then Minister of Health, during a pandemic.
In one message sent to Michael Gove in February 2021, Mr Russol stated that he had been “for months” trying to get the NHS to hire anesthesiologists through Remedium Partners.
Steve Brian 1 (from Michael Gove chat)
At the time, Mr Brian was being paid £1,600 a month to work part-time as a “strategic adviser” to the firm.
Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg found that in his communication to Mr. Gove, Mr. Russell failed to properly disclose the nature of his financial interest in Remedium, describing the firm only as “a company with which I am associated.”
< p> Mr. Greenberg said that this “simple attempt to declare” Mr. Rassol's employment relationship “did not comply” with the rules set out in the Code of Conduct for Deputies.
As a result, he found that Mr. Russell violated the declaration of interest requirement, which all parliamentarians are required to follow.
The Commissioner found that Mr Russell broke the same rule a second time in January 2021 when he emailed Mr Hancock calling Remedium Partners “my friends.”
However, the MP for Winchester was justified. Greenberg for violating the rules of paid advocacy, which found that the medical firm offered the services of doctors at no cost, which means that Mr. Russell did not seek “financial or material gain” for the company.
Instead of taking the case to the House of Commons standards committee, the commissioner felt that the lobbying violation could be remedied by a “fix”.
He asked the MP to admit his mistake, apologize and promise not to do so. it again – and Mr. Pickle agreed.
In a letter dated April 23, Mr Russell acknowledged that he had “violated the declaration rule” and was “happy to apologize unconditionally again.”
Sir Alistair Graham, former Chairman of the Public Living Standards Committee, called on Mr Rassol to step down as Chairman of the Health Committee, a role he was appointed to in November 2022.
Sir Alistair alleges violation “demonstrated that he did not have enough integrity to fill such a lofty role in the House of Commons”, noting: “I think he got off very lightly if all he was asked to do was apologize.”
Steve Russell agreed to admit his mistake, apologize, and promise not to do it again. Photo: Stephan Russo/Pennsylvania.The investigation was initiated after a member of the public reported The Telegraph article to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
It is understood that the complainant asked the Commissioner for Standards to reconsider the matter amid fears that Remedium might receive a “material benefit” providing doctors for the NHS, even if the service did not charge a fee.
It is speculated that the company may have offered its recruitment services through Mr. Pickle to improve its reputation and relations with the government.
Sir Alistair also told The Telegraph: “I would think this is a serious enough matter for the House of Commons Standards Committee to consider and determine what the appropriate penalty should be.”
Source from the Liberal Democrats said the breach changed attitudes in Mr. Rassol's fringe electorate, saying: “It's a bit of a bust.”
“He used to be thought to have a rather fluffy image and thought he was taller politics, but it's really happening on the doorstep.”
Chris Elmore, Labor vice chairman, told The Telegraph: “Once again, a senior Conservative MP has been caught breaking the rules, and Tory immorality is back on the agenda day.”
Mr Elmore urged Rishi Sunak to “show he can pull himself together”, asking when the prime minister “will start living up to his promise of 'professionalism, accountability and integrity?'< /p>
Remedium Partners declined to comment.
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