A Conservative Senedd member, Laura Anne Jones, is currently under investigation by police over allegations concerning her expenses. Texts from her phone, which appear to request an employee to maximise her expenses claims, have been seen by BBC Wales. In one message, she asked a staff member to “always make more than I did”, followed by a thumbs up emoji. Ms Jones’ solicitor denies any allegations in relation to impropriety and says that they are entirely misconceived.
Her lawyer made a statement: “Ms Jones is satisfied that any allegations in relation to impropriety surrounding expenses are entirely misconceived.” They also say that she “did not receive any formal bullying complaint in relation to any of her staff members” and believes that the complaints being lodged with the standards commissioner are without foundation. Ms Jones, who is Conservative shadow culture minister, has previously said that she will fully co-operate with “any investigation”.
The Standards Commissioner Douglas Bain and South Wales Police are investigating Ms Jones, and it is understood that the standards commissioner’s investigation is on hold while the police investigation is taking place. The police have spoken to at least one member of Conservative staff as part of their investigation. The context for the WhatsApp messages is not evident, but claims about Ms Jones’s expenses have emerged as part of Mr Bain’s investigation.
Mileage claims for Senedd members must be approved by the member themselves. BBC Wales has seen messages sent to a member of staff, who had asked whether they should make expenses claims for the politicians for days when Ms Jones was off sick. A graph of proposed expenses then appears to have been sent to Ms Jones’ phone. When the staff member asks “like visits to constituency office?”, a response says: “Yes – stuff like that [folded hands emoji]”. Although the BBC cannot verify whether the messages represent the whole conversations between the people involved, nor their full context
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