Malcolm Rifkind resigns over ‘cash for influence’ sting

Downing Street will hope that the resignation yesterday of former British foreign secretary, Malcolm Rifkind has drawn a partial line under the latest "cash for influence" controversy.

On Monday, Mr Rifkind had insisted he would battle through in the face of secretly filmed TV footage that showed him offering to exercise influence on behalf of a bogus Chinese firm.

Despite his bullishness, Mr Rifkind quit as chair of Westminster’s intelligence and security committee before lunchtime yesterday, and announced he would not try to hold his Kensington and Chelsea seat. Having been suspended by the Conservatives on Monday, he was told that a disciplinary investigation would take three weeks to complete – effectively scuppering any preparations for running again.

Serious allegations

There is now speculation that the

Tories are encouraging former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss to stand for the seat.

Mr Rifkind, first elected in Edinburgh in 1974, lost his seat in the 1997 wipeout that destroyed the Tories in Scotland, before he eventually found a base in London that brought him back into the Commons.

Six years ago, David Cameron displayed ruthlessness towards Tory MPs who were embroiled in an expenses scandal, ending the careers of many. This time around, he adopted the same attitude.

His spokesman, while acknowledging that the prime minister “respects and supports” Mr Rifkind’s decision, went on to say: “There were very serious allegations and questions that had been raised. So he thinks [he] has done the right thing.”

In a bid to hold on to some pride, Mr Rifkind said that the Daily Telegraph/Channel 4 Dispatches documentary had made "contemptible" allegations against him that he would rebut. "No I don't think I did anything wrong. I may have made errors of judgment but then we all make errors of judgment. We are all human beings in that sense, " he said.

Former Labour foreign secretary Jack Straw also featured in the same documentary and his hopes of being nominated to the House of Lords by Labour leader Ed Miliband after he stands down in May have been dealt a possibly fatal blow.

Asked if the Labour leader would nominate him, a spokesman pointedly said: “You can’t nominate someone under investigation.”

Expenses scandal

Privately, politicians across all sides are infuriated with the two men, if only for being so naive to get caught out in the latest “sting” by undercover reporters. “We fought the last election in the shade of the expenses scandal, which did untold damage to all politicians. And now we find that we have to do it all over again,” one former cabinet minister told

The Irish Times

.

The Scottish National Party, in particular, has already seized on the controversy, saying that it displays how both Labour and the Tories are out of touch with Scottish public opinion.

Westminster’s parliamentary commissioner for standards is unlikely to conclude its investigation until late this year.

Labour will put a motion to the vote in the House of Commons today that would, if accepted, ban MPs from holding paid directorships and consultancies, something more common on Tory benches.

Mr Miliband insists that MPs should be barred from earning more than 15 per cent in outside income, but Mr Cameron is opposed, believing that experience of the outside world has value.