MP breached rules through APPG link to Israel

"He referred himself to the Committee on Standards after he was told a funding partner of a secretariat to the group RUK Advanced Systems Ltd was a subsidiary of Israel-owned defence firm Rafael. Shastri-Hurst, who resigned as the group's chair in June, has been approached by the BBC for comment. In a statement to the Committee on Standards, he "apologised unreservedly"."

"Under the rules for All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs), they must not accept the services of a secretariat an organisation set up to support the group's activities which is funded by a foreign government. According to the Committee on Standards report, Shastri-Hurst "failed to ensure that adequate due diligence checks were made on RUK Advanced Systems Ltd". It said this "enabled a foreign government, in this case the government of Israel, to act as an indirect, eventual funder of the secretariat"."

"RUK signed up as a tier one partner in January, the report said, with a set payment of 1,499, allowing the firm access to the group's meetings, discussions and events. The secretariat returned the payment to the company after the connection to the Israeli government was verified, the report added. It said RUK confirmed the government of Israel had no involvement in the decision for the company to become a partner of the secretariat."

Neil Shastri-Hurst, Conservative MP for Solihull West and Shirley, was investigated as chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Defence Technology after a funding partner to the group's secretariat was linked to an Israel-owned defence firm. He referred himself to the Committee on Standards and resigned as the group's chair in June, apologising unreservedly. The Committee found he failed to carry out adequate due diligence, allowing the Israeli government to act as an indirect funder of the secretariat. RUK Advanced Systems Ltd signed as a tier-one partner for 1,499, which was later returned when the connection was verified. The APPG was discontinued in August and the committee recommended a written apology to the House of Commons.

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