A Tory MP today referred himself to Parliament’s standards watchdog after reports suggested that he may have exploited his position to set up lucrative business deals.
Mark Pritchard denied the “hurtful and malicious” claims and said he wanted the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to investigate. An article in the Daily Telegraph said the MP claimed he could use his political contacts to set up deals in return for money.
Mr Pritchard said today that he was taking legal advice about the report, adding: “The allegations are false and I deny their claims.
“They have selected quotes out of context to fit their desired story, which is both hurtful and malicious and seeking to damage me.” The Telegraph claimed Mr Pritchard, a member of the all-party parliamentary group for Albania, told a reporter posing as a businessman he should invest £10 million in a group of boutique hotels in the country.
In a video released by the newspaper, the MP for The Wrekin appears to ask to be paid £3,000 a month for consultancy services, as well as three per cent of any deal to secure the investment in Albania. Mr Pritchard said: “I am also consulting libel lawyers.”
