Conservative MP Neil Shastri-Hurst Found in Breach of APPG Standards Over Funding Linked to Israeli Government
MP Neil Shastri-Hurst, Conservative MP for Solihull West and Shirley, was found to be in breach of All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) standards relating to funding linked to a firm owned by the Israeli government.
The issue concerned the All Party Parliamentary Group on Defence Technology and its secretariat accepting funding connected to RUK Advanced Systems Ltd, which subsequently was found to have ties to the Israeli government.
Shastri-Hurst, who was chair of the APPG at the time, referred himself to the Committee on Standards after discovering the funding connection. He resigned as chair in June, and the APPG was merged or discontinued in August.
The Committee on Standards found that inadequate due diligence had been conducted on RUK Advanced Systems Ltd, allowing a foreign government to indirectly fund the APPG secretariat. RUK had signed on as a tier-one partner in January with a payment of £1,499, which the secretariat returned once the Israeli link was verified.
RUK confirmed that the Israeli government was not involved in the decision for the partnership, but the link remained a matter of concern.
The Committee recommended that Shastri-Hurst apologise in writing to the House. He issued an unreserved apology, stating he was mortified by the situation.
The breach was described as the result of a misunderstanding of the rules rather than deliberate disregard, and there was a call for expert advice to improve due diligence procedures in the future.
