Mark Pritchard
Mark Pritchard has been the Conservative Party MP for The Wrekin since 2005 [1]and is a former secretary of the influential 1922 Committee. In the 2015 general election Pritchard retained his seat for a third term with a majority of 10,743. [2]
Controversies and conflicts of interest
In early November 2013 an investigation by The Telegraph revealed that Pritchard had 'offered to use his political contacts to set up business deals with foreign officials and ministers in return for being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds'. Pritchard did not offer to lobby British politicians or ask questions in Parliament, however the newspaper revealed that he had,
- told an undercover reporter that he could use his “network” to set up meetings with politicians in countries where he had parliamentary connections.
- Mr Pritchard sits on official parliamentary groups for many of those countries where, in return for payment, he was offering to broker investments and to arrange meetings with senior government figures. Parliamentary rules ban MPs from seeking to profit from their positions and warns politicians to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
- Mr Pritchard also stands accused of using a Nato parliamentary assembly to discuss business opportunities with contacts. [3]
Pritchard reportedly asked to be paid £3,000 a month for consultancy services advising on business deals in Albania, as well as 3 per cent of the deal. He is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Albania, which exists to 'help bilateral relations and improve parliamentary relations' between the UK and Albania.
Pritchard denied the Telegraph's allegations, which he described as 'false and malicious' and 'hurtful'. He has reported himself to the parliamentary standards watchdog for investigation.[4]
In December 2014, he was arrested and questioned on allegations of rape. He is on bail until early January 2015, pending further enquiries.[5]
Affiliations
- 1922 Committee - member
- Global Vision
- Henry Jackson Society: Project for Democratic Geopolitics
- Slimming World All-Party Parliamentary Group
- All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group
- All-Party Parliamentary Group for Albania
- Mark Pritchard Advisory Limited - registered with UK's House of Commons in September 2013
External resources
Claire Newell, Holly Watt and Ben Bryant, Senior Conservative MP uses political contacts to further business empire, The Telegraph, 05 Nov 2013 10:06PM GMT
Notes
- ↑ Mark Pritchard, www.parliament.uk, accessed 11 November 2012.
- ↑ Wrekin: Conservative Mark Pritchard wins seat Shropshire Star, 8 May 2015, accessed 18 May 2015
- ↑ Claire Newell, Holly Watt and Ben Bryant, Senior Conservative MP uses political contacts to further business empire, The Telegraph, 05 Nov 2013 10:06PM GMT, accessed same day
- ↑ MP Mark Pritchard denies Albania business claims, BBC News, 5 November 2013 Last updated at 22:22 GMT, acc same day
- ↑ MP Mark Pritchard Arrested On Suspicion Of Rape Sky News, 4 December 2014, accessed 4 December 2014
