Richard Tice under parliamentary watchdog probe over interest declaration
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice is under investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog over whether he failed to declare an interest during a Commons...
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice is under investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog over whether he failed to declare an interest during a Commons debate. The probe could sharpen pressure on one of Nigel Farage’s closest allies at a moment when the party is already fielding questions about conduct and donations.
The case was opened on Tuesday, 28 July, and appeared on the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards website on Monday. Tice, who represents Boston and Skegness, said the complaint relates to a debate on Israeli influence and whether he should have pointed to his register of interests.
What the watchdog is examining
The commissioner’s office has not set out the allegation in detail, which is standard procedure until an inquiry is finished. What is known is that the investigation concerns Rule 6 of the parliamentary code of conduct, which says members must be “open and frank” when declaring any relevant interest in House proceedings, committee work, and contact with ministers or officials.
Parliament’s own guidance adds that MPs may refer to their register of interests, but a register reference alone is not enough. The declaration itself has to be made in the proceeding. Clear enough.
Tice’s defence and the wider row
In a post on X, Tice said the case was about “whether I should have referenced my register of interests at the start of a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence”. Reform said he did not mention in his 22 June speech that he had been on a trip to Israel last September, funded by a pro-Israel lobbying group.
The trip is already listed in Tice’s Declaration of Members’ Interests. That detail matters because the watchdog is looking at disclosure, not the substance of his remarks.
The issue landed quickly in party politics. A Labour spokesperson said: “The Reform sleaze scandals continue to pile up. Richard Tice is”
The commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, is handling the case. On procedure, his office does not publish the particulars of a complaint while an investigation is live. The next public detail may come only after the inquiry concludes — unless the political noise around it grows louder first.
