MP forced to apologise after email error

It came after Labour’s candidate in the forthcoming General Election Margaret Pinder issued an open letter challenging Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart over what she said was a breach of the House of Commons Code of Conduct.

The e-mail, from Mr Stuart’s parliamentary address, asked for help delivering surveys to every house in the constituency, canvassing views on what was important to them.

Mr Stuart apologised today for an office “mix up”.

He said: “Unfortunately due to a mix up in my office it was not understood that the survey had political content and was not appropriate to promote from a parliamentary email address.

“My office checked with the parliamentary authorities first but it is my judgement that it should not have gone out.

“I accept full responsibility for the fact it did so and apologise that it was sent out in this way.”

Within a few hours of the email going out, Mrs Pinder called on Mr Stuart to retract what she described as an “entirely improper proposal to the wider public to voluntarily support your election campaign under the auspices of a politically-neutral survey canvassing public opinion.”

Today she claimed the incident raised questions about his judgement.

She said: “It shows either wilful negligence in the running of his office or a complacency surrounding a general culture of disregard for the proper and appropriate rules of parliamentary conduct. Either way the whole matter does him no credit.”

The Tory MP increased his majority in the seat he has held since 2005 in the last General Election to 12,987 votes.

The seat will be contested by UKIP, Yorkshire First and the Green Party, as well as the three main political groups.