Richard Tice has said he is “absolutely raging angry” over an “establishment set-up” investigation.
The Reform UK deputy leader and business spokesman was speaking to GB News after the parliamentary standards watchdog announced it was investigating an alleged failure to declare an interest in Israel while speaking at a debate in Westminster Hall.
Daniel Greenberg, the Standards Commissioner, confirmed inquiries were opened on July 28 and were published on the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner website today.
Reform has said Mr Tice did not mention in his June 22 speech that he had visited Israel last September, which was paid for by a pro-Israel lobby group.
The Reform MP declared the trip on October 19 last year and can be seen on the UK Parliament website.
Discussing the allegations with Martin Daubney, Mr Tice exclaimed he had not been given a chance to defend himself.
“I can sense your fury,” Martin said during a lull in the volcanic exchange.
“Fury?! I’m absolutely raging angry. It’s a disgrace!”
Richard Tice has fumed he is ‘absolutely raging angry’ over an ‘establishment set-up’ investigation
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GB NEWS
“A basic counterpoint: might it have been a more sensible idea to declare it in the first place?”
“No, because it was a debate about UK democracy,” the Reform MP shot back.
“I went to Israel nine months ago when there were still hostages in Gaza, to understand about October 7, to go to the location of some of the horrors of that horrific massacre.
“That’s why I went to Israel. It has nothing to do with UK democracy. Nothing at all. No declaration was required. This is an establishment set-up full on,” Mr Tice claimed.
The parliamentary standards watchdog is investigating an alleged failure to declare an interest in Israel while speaking at a debate in Westminster Hall
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PAEarlier today, a Reform source described the investigation as “baffling” to the Telegraph, saying: “He was fighting antisemitism in Westminster Hall, and it ends up in an investigation.”
Mr Tice also condemned the investigation on X, writing: “Contrary to garbage in media: I am being investigated for standing against antisemitism. You could not make it up.
“Standards Commissioner is considering complaint by antisemitic anti-Israel lobby group over whether I should have referenced my register of interests at start of a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence.”
‘I can sense your fury,’ Martin Daubney said
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GB NEWS
The Parliamentary Code of Conduct says MPs can refer to entries in the declaration of interest.
However, it also says: “Such a reference will not suffice on its own, as the declaration must provide sufficient information to convey the nature of the interest without the listener or the reader having to have recourse to the register or other publication.”
A separate complaint over an undeclared £80,000 loan to Mr Tice from Nigel Farage’s aide George Cottrell was thrown out by the standards watchdog “in under 24 hours”, Mr Tice said on Wednesday.