Fresh Pakistan ‘sleaze’ claims against Warsi

Reports says she paid for a potential customer of a business she is involved with to attend the Conservative Friends of Pakistan launch event last month.

It follows a series of allegations surrounding the Yorkshire politician in recent weeks which have resulted in two separate standards investigations.

The Lords Standards Commissioner is looking into allegations that she claimed for accommodation expenses while staying at a friend’s house rent-free. Lady Warsi denies any wrongdoing and says appropriate payments were made.

In a separate matter Mr Cameron has referred her failure to declare a business interest to his independent adviser on Ministerial interests.

The latest allegation is that she paid for a businessman – who was in discussion over a deal with a company she is involved with – to attend a party function at the Savoy Hotel in central London.

Fareed Nasir, the founder of Chunky Chicken fast-food restaurant chain, is quoted in a Sunday newspaper as saying he was invited to the event because they were working closely over a possible deal with Rupert’s Recipes – which Lady Warsi owns a stake in.

The Yorkshire Post was unable to contact Lady Warsi last night.

Rupert Recipes was at the centre of the allegation earlier this month which resulted in Mr Cameron ordering an inquiry into whether Lady Warsi breached the ministerial code when she was accompanied by a director of the company – Abid Hussain – on an official visit to Pakistan.

The Prime Minister called in Sir Alex Allan, his independent adviser on Ministerial interests, to investigate after she admitted failing to disclose her business relationship with Mr Hussain.

At the time Lady Warsi wrote a letter of apology to Mr Cameron, saying she was “sincerely sorry” for the embarrassment to the Government.

Mr Hussain attended Lady Warsi’s July 2010 visit to Pakistan – soon after she had joined the coalition Cabinet. They were both directors of Rupert’s Recipes at the time. In her letter to the Prime Minister, she said that although it was “widely known” that he was her husband’s second cousin she had not realised the need to declare that they also had “a common business interest as minority shareholders in a small food company”.

“I sincerely regret that I did not consider the significance of this relationship with Mr Hussain when the arrangements for the visit were being made. In retrospect, I accept that I should have made officials aware of the business relationship between Mr Hussain and myself, and for this I am sorry,” she wrote.

At the time Lady Warsi stressed that it was not a trade-related visit and Mr Hussain “did not gain any financial or business advantage” from his involvement, he was not part of the official delegation and no aspect of his visit was funded by the Government.

Mr Cameron said he accepted her apology but was asking Sir Alex to “consider the issues that have been raised with respect to the Ministerial Code and to provide advice to me as rapidly as possible”.

The Prime Minister responded that she should have “proactively” raised the business interest she shared with Mr Hussain with the Foreign Office and the Cabinet Office. He wrote: “The Ministerial Code requires ministers to ensure no real or perceived conflict between their official responsibilities and their personal interests.”

Also earlier this month, the House of Lords Standards Commissioner launched a formal investigation into Lady Warsi’s expenses claims.

Former police chief Paul Kernaghan decided to investigate after being asked to look into the claims by Lady Warsi herself. She faces allegations that she claimed for accommodation expenses while staying at a friend’s house rent-free.

Lady Warsi says she made an “appropriate payment” to her friend – Tory official Naweed Khan, who is now one of her aides – for the nights she stayed at a property in Acton, west London.

But the property’s owner, GP and former Conservative donor Wafik Moustafa, has denied receiving any income from either Lady Warsi or Mr Khan during the time of her stay in 2008.