Labour MP failed to declare Indian donations in questions to ministers

LONDON — A Labour MP asked a series of parliamentary questions on Indian interests while failing to declare he had accepted donations worth thousands of pounds from Indian organizations.

Navendu Mishra, the MP for Stockport, tabled 14 written questions relating to U.K. relations with India since September 2023, scrutiny of House of Commons records by POLITICO shows.

During the same period, records show he received £4,929 from the Indian High Commission to sponsor a reception at last year’s Labour Party conference.

He also accepted a trip to several cities in India valued at £11,304.50 from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, one of the country’s biggest business lobbying organizations, earlier this year.

A Labour spokesperson said: “Navendu Mishra has consistently declared his interests when speaking in parliament. Having not done this for written questions, he has notified the Commons registrar.”

They added: “As an MP of Indian heritage, the written parliamentary questions Navendu has tabled represent legitimate and longstanding interest in affairs related to India. They do not and have never represented any commercial interests.”

The code of conduct for MPs states that “members must indicate any relevant interest” when tabling a written question.

Several questions focused on Indian applications for British visas, while others concerned the number of British civil servants based in India and support for a permanent seat for India on the U.N. Security Council.

Rose Whiffen of campaigning group Transparency International UK said: “When foreign organizations sponsor all-expenses paid trips for MPs there is clear risk that gives rise to the perception or reality — that the judgment of parliamentarians is influenced by the generosity of their hosts.”

“At the very least parliamentarians should be open about their interests and diligently declare them,” she added.

Mishra made his trip to India while serving as a parliamentary aide to Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner, who also traveled to the republic.

Senior Labour politicians David Lammy, Jonathan Reynolds and Rayner all accepted trips from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry as members of the shadow cabinet in February 2024. However, they do not appear to have explicitly raised Indian interests in parliament following their visits. 

There have been several recent attempts to clamp down on foreign lobbying in Westminster, including a ban on parliamentary campaign groups funded by foreign governments.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has also committed to setting up a register of lobbyists acting for a foreign power, although its introduction has been delayed amid a rethink of the U.K.’s engagement with China.