Education Minister failed to declare financial interest while endorsing grammar schools

EDUCATION Minister Jonathan Gullis failed to declare a financial interest while endorsing grammar schools in the Commons, Labour claim.

The Stoke MP has been reported to Parliament’s anti-sleaze bosses after hailing the benefits of selective schools without mentioning a donation-in-kind worth £7,200.

Mr Gullis has issued a grovelling apology to Standard’s Commissioner Karen Stone after failing to mention in two debates that a top public affairs firm helped to run his “national campaign on grammar schools”.

The Tory MP – recently promoted to Minister for Schools Standards – insists it was an oversight but the opposition want a formal probe.

Labour’s Stephen Morgan has made a formal complaint to the Commissioner accusing Mr Gullis of “breaching” MPs’ code of conduct on paid advocacy.

The Shadow Education Minister accused his opposite number of failing to vocally point out his grammar schools interest despite registering the donation in kind in anti-sleaze registers.

On May 11 the then backbencher banged the drum for grammars and urged the government to “lift the ban”.

And on May 23 he insisted they were a “very important part of the mix in our educational system”.

On neither occasion did Mr Gullis mention that since May 16 he had been given the services of firm 5654 & Company paid for by the firm Quinn Estates Ltd.

Mr Morgan insisted Mr Gullis had broken two parts of the code of conduct – that no MP “shall act as a paid advocate” and that MPs “shall always be open and frank in drawing attention to any relevant interest in any proceeding of the House”.

The Labour MP said to Ms Stone: “I hope you will consider opening an investigation into this matter.”

Mr Gullis declined to comment, but Trending In The News understands he has already apologised personally to Commons chiefs.