Five Tory MPs broke Parliament’s ethics code by trying to “improperly influence” two top judges, an investigation by Commons the standards watchdog has found.
The MPs were censured after they had approached judges not to release character references for Charlie Elphicke, a former Tory MP jailed for two years for sexual assault.
In a joint letter written on House of Commons stationery in November 2020, they claimed releasing the character references could have a “chilling effect and harm the criminal justice system”.
But the House of Commons Standards Committee ruled they “sought to influence” the outcome of the hearing in a damning report on their conduct.
The report stated: “Such egregious behaviour is corrosive to the rule of law and, if allowed to continue unchecked, could undermine public trust in the independence of judges.”
The watchdog recommended three of the five - Sir Roger Gale and Theresa Villiers, plus Elphicke’s ex-wife and his replacement as MP Natalie Elphicke - be suspended from Parliament for one day.
The other two MPs, Col Bob Stewart and Adam Holloway, will not be suspended but have been ordered to apologise to the House of Commons and to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.
The Standards Committee said it singled out Sir Roger because he “still does not accept his mistake”, and Ms Elphicke and Ms Villiers because they had “substantial legal experience”.
The report added: “There is no suggestion that the Members concerned actually influenced the outcome of the hearing. But they sought to do so.
“And by acting as they did risked giving the impression that elected politicians can bring influence to bear on the judiciary, out of public view and in a way not open to others.”
On the same day as their letter to the judge, the four put their own character references in the public domain “in order that we may freely express our serious concerns pertaining to vulnerable private individuals”.
