Attorney General ordered to apologise to Commons over property

The Devon MP has been ordered to apologise to Parliament for failing to declare rental income on time

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox has been ordered to apologise to MPs for twice breaking parliamentary rules over his second property.

The cross-party Standards Committee said the MP for Torridge and West Devon had made "genuine mistakes" on his financial interests.

Its inquiry did not find Mr Cox committed "serious breaches" and elected not to punish him further.

The written apology to the House will not be the first required of Mr Cox.

The Conservative MP made a "sincere and heartfelt" apology in 2016 for failing to declare in excess of £400,000 of earnings from his work as a barrister before the deadline.

The latest ruling comes after Mr Cox apologised in January for a late declaration of rental income he received from his former London home.

Whilst the committee declined to punish Mr Cox for the second breach, it acknowledged that the chief legal adviser to the government was obliged to "set a good example by scrupulous observance of the rules".

Before this declaration, the only property in his name on the Register of Members' Financial Interests was some Devonshire farmland.