Conway fights for his political life
Jan 30 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal
A FORMER Tyneside politician who used taxpayers’ money to pay his son for work he never carried out is today fighting to save his career.
Tyneside-born Conservative Derek Conway was yesterday expelled from the parliamentary party, amid mounting speculation that he will be barred from standing as a Tory MP in the next General Election.
The former leader of Tyne and Wear County Council’s Conservative group faces the end of his political career after a highly critical report which condemned Mr Conway’s use of parliamentary allowances to pay his son Freddie more than £40,000.
It was claimed yesterday that the Old Bexley and Sidcup MP also handed thousands of pounds to his older son, Henry, for little apparent work.
Mr Conway grew up on Gateshead’s Beacon Lough council estate and at 19 years old he was chairman of the Northern Young Conservatives.
After leading the opposition group in Tyne and Wear and fighting two unsuccessful Parliamentary elections in the region, he eventually headed south in 1982 in search of a Parliamentary seat.
Labour MPs yesterday demanded a second inquiry into Mr Conway’s latest spending controversy, which was being considered by the Commons standards committee.
And following the latest allegations, Duncan Borrowman, a Liberal Democrat hoping to win Mr Conway’s seat, has written to the Metropolitan Police requesting they investigate the claims.
Conservative leader David Cameron denied claims he had waited too long before suspending the long-serving Tory.
He said: “I have made a very clear decision that this is obviously not acceptable conduct.
“Normally these things are dealt with by the House of Commons but, having reflected on it, I have judged that is not enough and that is why I have withdrawn the whip.”
Mr Cameron did not rule out Mr Conway re-taking the whip in future, but said he had “an awful lot of road to make up”.
Mr Conway said he had no quarrel with the leader’s “understandable if not inevitable” decision which effectively ends his career at Westminster.
MPs will decide on Thursday whether to suspend Mr Conway for 10 days.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said Mr Borrowman’s letter had not yet been received and no investigation has been launched.
