London:
A British MP who visited India twice on trips sponsored by the Tibetan government-in-exile and the Tibet Society of UK is one of several lawmakers under a cloud as another row hit the corridors of power in Westminster within weeks of Britain going to the polls.
According to BBC revelations made late last night, more than 20 MPs across the political spectrum breached parliamentary rules by not registering and declaring overseas trips paid for by foreign governments.
The row comes soon after the expenses scandal that rocked British parliament in mid-2009 and continues to cast a shadow on the British public's trust in politicians and politics.
Norman Baker, Liberal Democrats MP, visited India in October 2007 and September 2008. Following the visits, Baker asked 21 questions in parliament relating to Tibet, along with two supplementary questions, without declaring an interest.
According to parliamentary rules, any MP who goes on an overseas trip paid for by a foreign government must register it within four weeks. They must declare a financial interest if it "might reasonably be thought by others to influence the speech, representation or communication in question".
This includes when tabling questions, motions, bills or amendments, and when speaking out during Commons proceedings. Members may not, for example, call for increased UK financial assistance to the government, which provided the hospitality. Baker also tabled or signed 13 early day motions related to issues concerning Tibet and China.
In response, Baker told the BBC: "I have had a long-standing interest in Tibet, preceding by many years the two visits to which you refer, and hold positions as vice-chair of the All-Party Tibet Group and President of the Tibet Society. As these positions are unpaid, of course no declaration has been needed, though I have publicly referred to both positions on many occasions. In respect of the two visits to India, such visits have to be registered if the cost met from an external body constitutes more than 1 per cent of salary.
In fact, it was not clear in either case that this threshold had been breached, but I thought it right to declare these visits just in case. That notwithstanding, having decided that I would register these visits, I should have then declared a relevant interest in respect of the parliamentary activities you list. It is an unintended oversight that I did not, and I am grateful to you for drawing this to my attention."