Lobbyist investigation Stephen Byers

in march 2010, byers among politicians caught out undercover journalists posing lobbyists international company. journalists sunday times , filming channel 4 investigatory series called dispatches. shown describing himself cab hire , offering lobby parliamentary contacts in support of fictitious company financial payment of between £3,000 , £5,000 per day. byers claimed have influenced outcomes national express , tesco through relationships lord adonis, transport secretary, , lord mandelson, business secretary, respectively. claimed had phoned mandelson put stop massively bureaucratic food labelling regulations after had been contacted tesco. later withdrew name consideration fictitious lobbying company via email, claiming had over-stated role, writing, have not spoken andrew adonis or peter mandelson matters mentioned . when story broke, national express , tesco denied there truth in byers statements. byers referred himself john lyon, parliamentary commissioner standards. byers expressed confidence lyon clear name, banned parliamentary estate. on 22 march 2010, byers administrative suspension membership of parliamentary labour party announced alongside of patricia hewitt, geoff hoon , margaret moran. however, 4 remained members of labour party itself.

on 9 december 2010, geoff hoon along stephen byers , richard caborn banned parliament, standards , privileges committee banned geoff hoon minimum 5 years serious breach, whilst byers received 2 years , caborn 6 months.