Is Andrea Leadsom’s campaign already in breach of parliamentary rules?

Since Andrea Leadsom announced her leadership bid, the Conservative candidate has been dogged by allegations that she lacks the experience and knowledge to lead her party — let alone the country.

Reports this week from Leadsom’s former colleagues claiming she exaggerated her banking credentials on her CV have only fuelled concerns that she could be out of her depth. Now Mr S understands that Leadsom could be in breach of parliamentary rules over the registered address of her leadership campaign.

On her campaign website, Leadsom uses the House of Commons as the registered address from which she can be contacted:

However, the Members’ handbook says that parliamentary facilities should not be used for ‘party political campaigning’:

‘These facilities and services are provided in order to assist Members in their parliamentary work. They should be used appropriately, in such a way as to ensure that the reputation of the House is not put at risk. They should not be used for party political campaigning or private business activity.