Jeremy Hunt to face no further action over property complaint

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will not face any further parliamentary sanctions after apologising for the late reporting of his interest in a property company.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will not be further penalised over his property non-disclosure

Following an inquiry, parliamentary standards commissioner Kathryn Stone has accepted Mr Hunt’s apology as the “appropriate” outcome for a breach of the MPs’ code of conduct said to be “at the less serious end of the spectrum”.

Under a process known as “rectification”, she informed the Health Secretary she would not be referring him to the Commons Committee on Standards for further action.

Ms Stone’s report on the case revealed Mr Hunt apologised a second time during the course of the inquiry.

Mr Hunt originally made a public apology last month for failing to record his involvement in Mare Pond Properties Ltd in the MPs’ register of interests within a 28-day time limit.

He then made a second apology to Ms Stone in person after admitting he was a day late in registering the company’s purchase of seven luxury flats in Southampton.

Mr Hunt told the commissioner Mare Pond was initially “a shell company with no assets or value” and he wrongly believed it was not necessary to register his interest until it became operational with the purchase of the flats.

He said he took “full responsibility” for his misinterpretation of the rules.

In a letter to Labour MP Jon Trickett, who first reported the breach to her office, Ms Stone said: “I consider Mr Hunt’s acknowledgement of his breach of paragraph 13 of the code and his apology to be an appropriate outcome. This matter is now closed.”