A Conservative candidate has been accused of lying to MPs about his political ambitions in order to secure a lucrative role heading up a post-Brexit regulator.
Sir Ashley Fox was confirmed on Friday as the Tory candidate for the safe seat of Bridgwater in Somerset, which he applied for last year despite having previously promised members of the justice select committee that he would not do so.
Fox made the promise in 2020 during a parliamentary hearing to vet him as the next chair of the Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA), a regulator set up after Brexit to protect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK.
Maria Eagle, a Labour MP who was on the committee at the time, said: “Sir Ashley appears to have repeatedly lied to me and other members of the select committee about his intentions to stand for parliament while seeking a non-political role, posing serious questions about his suitability for public office.
“Had he done this as a serving MP, it would have warranted a formal investigation, so why has he been deemed an acceptable Conservative party candidate for the election?”
Fox said: “I have now stepped down from the IMA. I am very proud to have been selected as the Conservative candidate for Bridgwater and am looking forward to the election on 4 July.”
During his pre-appointment hearing in 2020, Fox was asked by Sir Bob Neill, the Conservative chair of the committee: “Do you intend to apply for any political office, Sir Ashley, while holding the post of chair of the IMA?”
Fox replied at the time “no” and then followed up with an email to Neill promising: “I am happy to confirm that it is not my intention to seek or hold elected public office during my term as chair of the Independent Monitoring Authority.”
With that guarantee having been secured, Neill said he was happy to recommend Fox for the role, which required two days of work a week earning £500 a day. He added in his recommendation report: “Any candidate taking such a role must demonstrate the independence required to conduct it beyond party political interest.”
Fox then spent three years in the role as chair before announcing in September 2023 that he was quitting after being selected for the Bridgwater constituency.
The row over Fox’s candidacy in Bridgwater, which would have had a majority of 19,000 in 2019 had it existed in its current boundaries, is the latest in a series of controversies regarding Conservative selections. All candidates for next month’s election were confirmed by the Electoral Commission at 4pm on Friday.
This week Sam Trask stood aside as the Tory candidate in Bridgend, in Wales, after it emerged he had made a series of inappropriate comments about women online. In one discussion about chat-up lines, Trask suggested: “Hey there, wanna come to my place and watch porn on my 50-inch flatscreen mirror?”
Meanwhile, Richard Holden, the Tory party chair, is facing anger from party members after he secured the candidacy for the safe seat of Basildon and Billericay having been the only contender to be shortlisted. Holden previously represented North West Durham, a seat 300 miles away that has been abolished by the boundary review.
The Conservative party did not respond to a request for comment.
