Derek Conway apologises over payments to son
Derek Conway yesterday apologised in the Commons after being ordered to pay back thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money dished out to his son.
The former Tory MP also said he wanted to withdraw a statement made to the media last week, after he was ordered to return more than £3,700 wrongly paid to elder son Henry for research and administration duties.
Conway told the chairman of the standards and privileges committee, Sir George Young: "Will you accept that I repeat without qualification the apology I've already given you in writing and say that I accept without any reservation the committee's conclusion that I breached a rule of the house.
"I would also like to withdraw the statement that I made to the media last Thursday."
Young (Con, Hampshire North West) replied: "I'm very grateful to you; it means I can discard the next three pages of my speech."
The exchanges came during a Liberal Democrat-led debate on standards of conduct in parliament.
Speaking to LBC Radio last Thursday, Conway said he believed his case was getting particular scrutiny because the Labour party was trying to get the cash-for-influence peers row off the front pages.
He also suggested it was because his son Henry was gay and had a "flamboyant" nature.
Conway said: "It's an opportunity for the Labour party to pile in and get their thing off the front pages. This is how they play the game ... It's a tough game."
He also delivered a warning to parliamentary colleagues, saying he thought there were more scandals to come.
"I think there will be some [MPs] who will be reading this report in great detail, who will not necessarily sleep that easily in their beds tonight," he added.
"I think other MPs must wonder when they read this report if they would stand the same level of scrutiny and I would bet both arms that that would not be the case for very, very many. And some of them very senior too."
Conway, the MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, was expelled from the Conservative party last year after being ordered to repay £13,161 handed to younger son Freddie for work he did not appear to have done.