Renewed calls for Labour MP’s resignation amid fresh allegations of misconduct
Records show Keith Vaz accepted VIP tickets to Leicester City Premiere League football matches during the time he was meant to be too 'ill' to participate in other ethics probe
SHAMED Labour MP Keith Vaz faced fresh calls to quit last night after it emerged he attended a string of Premier League football matches despite being deemed too “ill” for his rent boys probe.
Parliament’s sleaze watchdog suspended the investigation into allegations he paid for rent boys due to his illness in December.
But despite the three-month pause Mr Vaz accepted invitations for VIP hospitality at Leicester City football matches.
The Register of MPs’ Financial Interests reveals he accepted £330 worth of hospitality on February 24 and March 18.
The latter match was three days before Parliament’s Standards Commissioner reopened her inquiry into Mr Vaz.
Mr Vaz has also travelled nearly 5,000 miles to India and took a trip to Saudi Arabia during the suspended investigation.
Mr Vaz issued a grovelling public apology to his wife and children in 2016 after it emerged he had paid two male escorts for their services.
A newspaper sting revealed Keith Vaz tried to hide his real identity by telling them he was a washing machine salesman called Jim.
The escorts claimed he asked them to bring poppers and offered to reimburse a third man for buying cocaine.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said the latest revelations of Mr Vaz’s activities during his suspended investigation was proof he’s no longer fit to be an MP.
He said: “As we can see from his register of interest Vaz wasn’t too ill to accept hospitality at LCFC. This shows that the Standards Commissioner was right to kick off the investigation into his rent boys and cocaine incident again.
“I have long been of the belief that Keith Vaz is not a fit and proper person to serve in the House of Commons and he should resign immediately.”
The outgoing Standards Commissioner Kathryn Hudson suspended the probe days before Christmas “on the basis of a medical assessment”.
Her successor Kathryn Stone reopened it after a fresh medical assessment last month.
She is trying to determine whether Mr Vaz was guilty of a conflict of interest as he was chair of the Home Affairs committee’s review into vice laws.
The watchdog is also looking into whether the former Europe minister has caused “significant damage” to the reputation of Parliament.
Mr Vaz was barely seen in the Commons and failed to vote between October 13 and December 13 last year – when the inquiry was halted.
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