Maja Smiejkowska/PA
Reform UK has been trying to flog tours of parliament with an MP for a whopping £300 in a clear breach of House of Commons rules.
According to reports in the Times, a fundraising email was sent to some activists offering the tours around Westminster this Christmas.
An email sent to Reform supporters in one region advertised a Christmas party for supporters at a central London bar and nightclub.
Tickets were sold as a fundraiser; however, there was an optional extra that advertised a “package” involving a tour of parliament with an MP.
A source said it was “a bit rich of Reform to have attacked Keir Starmer over freebies” given the attempt by a party organiser to “make money off their five MPs”.
Previously MPs have been censured for offering paid tours of parliament, with punishments including suspension and having the whip removed.
The latest set of rules says members of the Commons “must ensure that the use of facilities … is in support of their parliamentary activities, and is in accordance with all relevant rules”.
MPs must declare their financial interests and can be investigated by the standards commissioner for actions, “which would cause significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the House of Commons as a whole, or of its members generally”.
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