Post by Jane / Redsky

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards said no to a formal investigation into James McMurdock: "He is in general expressly prevented by the Procedural Protocol in respect of the Code of Conduct from investigating an MP’s views or opinions, including those expressed on social media." However:

s/s from email reply to my complaint about James McMurdock encouraging people to illegally hang flags on lampposts However, the Commissioner’s responsibilities are wider than investigating complaints, and he takes careful note of concerns raised by members of the public relating to parliamentary standards. Those concerns feed in to the Commissioner’s wider remit in the following ways: The Commissioner monitors parliamentary standards and gives advice in different forms to Members, individually and collectively, designed to enhance implementation in the performance of MP's functions of the Seven Principles of Public Life that underpin the Code of Conduct (openness, accountability, honesty, integrity, objectivity, selflessness and leadership). In particular, from time to time, the Commissioner advises MPs on matters relevant to their interactions with constituents and the public (for example, you will see some Advice Notes that the Commissioner has issued on these topics here: https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/standards-and-financial-interests/parliamentary-commissioner-for-standards/parliamentary-commissioner-for-standards/pcs-advice-notes/) The Commissioner is concerned by some of the choices of language and tone made by some MPs on social media and elsewhere, and this was an issue that was highlighted at Appendix 3 to his Annual Report. He considers carefully all complaints made about MPs’ language, and there are a number of options available to him for pursuing matters outside the opening of individual investigations. He will consider your email as part of that wider work, and is grateful to you for getting in contact. Annual Report: https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/pcfs/pcs-annual-report-2022-23.pdf

sep 4, 2025, 11:05 am • 7 3

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