Tory MP Miriam Cates placed under investigation by Commons standards watchdog
18 December 2023, 11:08
Tory MP Miriam Cates has been placed under investigation by the Commons standards watchdog.
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The backbench MP is facing claims that she has caused "significant damage to the reputation of the House as a whole, or of its members generally".
It is not known what the investigation relates to.
Details of investigations by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Daniel Greenberg, are kept confidential until the inquiry is concluded and those under investigation are not allowed to discuss the allegations.
Ms Cates was elected as MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge in 2019.
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She has become a leading figure of the right-wing New Conservatives group, acting as chairwoman alongside fellow backbencher Danny Kruger.
Ms Cates has been outspoken in her concern about declining fertility rates in Britain, calling for policies to promote marriage and having children.
She previously claimed the declining birth rate was partly down to "cultural Marxism".
She is one of eight MPs currently being investigated by the Standards Commissioner.
Others being investigated include Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing, veteran conservative Sir Bernard Jenkin and Reclaim MP Andrew Bridgen.
