Standards Commission report

Thanks to Guido Fawkes for advising us of the results of an investigation by Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone into a Labour complaint against Schools Minister Jonathan Gullis.

The independent commissioner has found Gullis innocent of wrongdoing after what looks to have been a vexatious complaint from a Labour shadow minister concerning a £7,200 donation.

On Monday The Guardian learnt that Gullis was under investigation, after Labour MP Stephen Morgan wrote to Stone arguing Gullis should have declared a donation received towards a grammar schools campaign he had previously run while he was a backbencher, arguing for more grammar schools.

Guido Fawkes asks how the Guardian got that story.

Three days later, however, Guido Fawkes reports that Kathryn Stone has completely exonerated Jonathan Gullis. She will not be taking any action on these issues as she doesn’t believe there’s evidence that any rules were broken.

Meanwhile, in a follow-up letter to leaky shadow minister Stephen Morgan, she criticised him for leaking the story to the Guardian briefing, writing

“I was disappointed to note that you appeared to share your letter with The Guardian newspaper before giving me an opportunity to review or respond to your complaint. I consider this behaviour to be discourteous to me and I trust that it will not be repeated.”

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