UK Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy Being Investigated by Parliament Sleaze Watchdog

UK Labour Party MP David Lammy in an undated file photo. (David Mirzoeff/PA)

Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy is being investigated over allegations that he registered his financial interests late.

Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone is looking at possible breaches to the MPs’ code of conduct under areas covering earnings, gifts, and foreign travel.

Under the earnings rules, MPs must register changes to their financial interests within 28 days. Gifts and payments received by MPs are published fortnightly in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

Lammy’s financial register contains a series of interests registered after that period. One includes a speech for Tufts University in the United States on the invasion of Ukraine.

A sum of £3,280 ($4,015) received from the Canary Wharf Group on Dec. 1 for a speech and question-and-answer session was not registered until May 27.

Canary Wharf Group is the owner and developer of nearly 100 acres of property at Canary Wharf and elsewhere in London.

The commissioner’s role looks at evidence that individual MPs may have broken the Rules of Conduct. Stone will find out the facts and make a decision, but an inquiry taking place does not mean that the rules have been broken.

Lammy apologised for the error and said he had put “revised systems in place” to prevent late declarations in the future.

This was included in an update to Parliament’s website after Stone opened the investigation on Wednesday.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is also being investigated by the watchdog. Starmer missed the deadline on several occasions for Arsenal Football Club tickets and a payment made for writing a book, reported the BBC.

A spokesperson for Lammy said: “David Lammy takes his declaration responsibilities seriously and as soon as this was brought to his attention he wrote to Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests to apologise for the administrative errors in his office which led to late declarations in December last year.”

“He has assured the registrar that he has put revised systems in place so that declarations are made in a timely manner. We are happy to provide the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner with any further information,” the spokesperson said.

Earlier this year, Lammy was a participant at the Bilderberg Meeting in Washington, joining industry leaders, heads of state, bank, oil, and big pharma bosses, prompting some to ask why the social justice advocate was participating in the secretive meeting. Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove also attended.

Meetings at Bilderberg are held under the Chatham House Rule, meaning participants can use the information they hear, but cannot reveal the identity of the speakers or their affiliations.

PA Media and John Smithies contributed to this report.