Whilst most of the publicity about the recall petitions that those Members of Parliament who commit criminal offences are subject to, has mostly been directed at Fiona Onasanya the ex MP for Peterborough, we should not forget that this process is in motion elsewhere. Over in the constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire an MP who pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates Court to expenses fraud, there is another less high profile recall petition underway.
According to a BBC report and reports in the local media for one of the areas covered by the constituency, Tory MP Chris Davies, 51, submitted expenses claims whilst setting up his constituency office that he knew to be false. Because of the fact that Mr Davies pleaded guilty to trying to split the costs of photographs between two different office budgets and therefore committed a fraud offence, a recall petition has been instituted. Reports say that Mr Davies knew that the invoices that were submitted were fraudulent and broke rules regarding expenses.
A fraud conviction is a serious one and one that damages the reputation of the person who commits it and this especially is the case when the offender is a Member of Parliament. You would be wary of trusting an accountant with a fraud conviction as this would have a bearing on the person’s honesty and character. If an MP commits fraud then it calls into question the MP’s character and brings up grave doubts as to whether or not that MP could be trusted in the future.
In the case of Mr Davies’ recall petition the petition will remain open until the 20th of June and it requires 10% (5,032) of the constituency’s 53,032 registered electors to vote in favour of recall for there to be a by-election. In a way this is just as serious a case as that of Fiona Onasanya, who was convicted of perverting the course of justice over a motoring offence, as those who commit expenses fraud, especially so early on in their parliamentary career, tarnish the office they hold. This is not just a run of the mill over-claiming case or a mistake in accounting, this was a deliberate attempt to defraud and has been punished by the courts. I don’t know about you but an MP who commits fraud by dishonesty in this way makes me wonder if he is willing to lie about his expenses, then what else may he be tempted to lie to his constituents about? This of course may be a ‘one off’ offence and he may be an honest man otherwise, but at the end of the day it does tarnish the office of MP and in my view should require a by-election. Whether there is a by-election held in the Brecon and Radnorshire constituency, a fight that Mr Davies has said he will stand in, now depends on the electors in this area. They will decide whether to stick with an MP who has been caught with his hands in the till or have the opportunity to vote for someone else.
