Tory fears end MPs wifes' business plan

The plug has been pulled on a business set up by the wife and senior assistant of MP Alistair Burt because of a possible ‘compliance issue’.

Eve Burt, whose husband was re-elected MP for North East Bedfordshire on May 6, set up Westminster START with Samantha Mackewn to recruit and manage Conservative MPs’ employees.

The pair, who have worked together in Mr Burt’s office for a number of years, intended to ensure staff were formally recruited, inducted and security cleared before beginning their work.

They were offering members a package for £2,500 (plus VAT) for full support in recruiting and managing all of the MPs’ staff. The website stated: ‘Members subscribe to the service using funds from their Staffing Expenditure Allowance or their Administrative and Office Expenditure Allowance.

‘The payment of this service from Parliamentary allowances has been approved by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority; who retain the right to audit our activities at any time.’ Mrs Burt said that they had been working on the business for a number of months and had been in discussion with the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority which was happy with it.

However, this week, the website went live but within days, a message appeared stating: ‘Due to circumstances beyond our control Westminster START is unable to continue operating.

‘We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause; and we will update the website with further details in due course.’ Mrs Burt said: “Somebody suggested that there may be a compliance problem. We haven’t done anything wrong.

“It was brought to our attention that there was a perception that the business may not be appropriate and that there was something wrong with it.

“We were not prepared to damage our party’s reputation so have pulled the plug on it.

“We were trying to do something that made things easier for people.” She couldn’t confirm who had raised the issue but said it was from ‘within the party’.

She added: “We don’t have any plans to revisit the business.

“If someone thinks that it might not be right then it might not be, even if it is.