Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice Investigated Over Alleged Failure to Declare Interest

Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice is facing an investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog over an allegation that he failed to properly declare a relevant interest during proceedings in the House of Commons.

The investigation was opened on 28 July and has now been published by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.

Tice, the MP for Boston and Skegness, is understood to be facing questions over a Commons debate concerning Israeli influence and whether he should have made a declaration relating to a previous trip to Israel.

The issue centres on a speech Tice made in the Commons on 22 June. Reform UK has confirmed that he did not mention during the speech that he had travelled to Israel in September last year on a trip funded by a pro-Israel lobbying organisation.

The visit is, however, recorded in Tice's formal declaration of members' interests.

The investigation concerns Rule 6 of the parliamentary code of conduct, which requires MPs to be open and transparent when declaring relevant interests in parliamentary proceedings, committee work and communications with ministers, MPs and public officials.

Parliamentary guidance states that while MPs may refer to their entry in the register of interests, simply pointing to the register is not necessarily sufficient. Any declaration should provide enough information for those listening or reading to understand the nature of the interest without having to consult another document.

The investigation comes amid separate scrutiny of Tice and Reform UK.

It was recently reported that police are investigating payments made to Reform UK by a company controlled by Tice in the period leading up to the general election.

Tice, who was Reform UK's chairman at the time, was the sole owner and controller of Britain Means Business, which made two £250,000 donations to the party.

When the allegations emerged, Tice questioned why the police investigation had been reported publicly before he had been contacted.

He also previously stated that the money had been provided to his company by Fiona Cottrell, a major Reform UK donor who is also the mother of a convicted fraudster with links to Reform leader Nigel Farage.

The latest parliamentary standards investigation is separate from the police inquiry.

Nigel Farage also faces standards investigation

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has also been the subject of a parliamentary standards investigation over an alleged failure to declare an interest.

That case relates to a reported £5m gift from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne, which was received before Farage became an MP.

The investigation was opened on 13 May but was suspended on 8 July after Farage stepped down to contest the Clacton by-election.

Should Farage return to Parliament, the investigation is expected to resume.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson also under investigation

The standards watchdog is also investigating Democratic Unionist Party MP Sammy Wilson over an alleged failure to declare an interest in accordance with the parliamentary code of conduct.

The investigation into the East Antrim MP was opened on 28 July, according to information published by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

The nature of the allegation has not yet been publicly detailed, and both Wilson and the DUP have been approached for comment.

The latest investigation is not the first time Wilson has faced scrutiny from Parliament's standards watchdog.

In 2024, the DUP MP was previously the subject of an investigation relating to the declaration of a paid-for overseas trip. That earlier case concerned an allegation that he failed to declare the trip when tabling a parliamentary question.

The renewed investigation puts further focus on the rules governing MPs and the requirement for elected representatives to be transparent about interests that could be relevant to their parliamentary activities.

The parliamentary code of conduct is designed to ensure that MPs are open about financial and other interests that could potentially influence, or be perceived to influence, their work.

For both Tice and Wilson, the current investigations are at the inquiry stage and do not in themselves establish that either MP has breached the rules.

The developments come at a time of increased attention on parliamentary standards, with several high-profile politicians facing questions over declarations of interests.

Alongside the investigation into Tice, the separate case involving Nigel Farage and the inquiry concerning Sammy Wilson mean that three MPs from different political backgrounds are currently facing scrutiny over alleged failures to declare interests.

The investigations are expected to establish the facts and determine whether parliamentary rules were breached and, if so, whether any further action is required.