More than 50 MPs have owned stakes in publicly listed companies that raise questions about possible conflicts of interest and that have until now been, in effect, secret, the Guardian can reveal.
Parliamentary rules mean MPs' shareholdings, including investments that were held by the former prime minister Theresa May and the former education secretary Gavin Williamson, do not need to be publicly disclosed in parliamentary registers. But as a result voters are left in the dark about some of the financial interests of their elected representatives.
The Guardian has found dozens of MPs have shares in banks, housebuilders, defence companies, energy suppliers and supermarkets -companies that could be affected by legislation or new policies introduced by parliament. They include Barclays, HSBC, BP and Sainsbury's.
Almost all of the holdings found are not strictly required to be publicly declared under current transparency rules, requirements. Parliamentary unchanged since 2015, require MPs to register holdings they have in a single company when they own more than 15% of its shares or when their shares in it are worth more than £70,000.
Transparency campaigners have said the findings "raise serious questions about vested interests in our democracy" and called for a review.
Steve Goodrich, the head of research at Transparency International UK, said: "If an MP has shares in a company affected by legislation going through parliament, there's invariably a tension between them protecting their financial affairs and advancing the public good. Having these details out in the open is a key safeguard against abuse of public office.
この記事は The Guardian の July 10, 2023 版に掲載されています。
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