Committee publication · Report · 11 December 2025 · HC 1570
5th Report - Charlie Maynard
From: Committee on Standards
Government response deadline: 11 February 2026
Summary
This Committee on Standards report investigates Charlie Maynard MP's failure to register multiple financial interests within the required 28-day deadline under Rule 5 of the Code of Conduct. The investigation found breaches in registering pro bono legal advice (valued at £631k+), free accommodation, Vietnamese shareholdings (£126k+), and updating his entry after resigning from local council. The Committee recommends an apology on a point of order and mandatory training on registration obligations.
Key findings
- Maynard breached Rule 5 by failing to register pro bono legal advice from five sources (William Day £242.5k, Marriott Harrison £235k+, Mokal £79.5k, Kok £29.1k, Jones £27.3k) outside the 28-day deadline.
- Maynard failed to register free accommodation provided by a family member since his July 2024 election, and failed to register Vietnamese company shares valued at £126k+ when sold in February 2025.
- Maynard failed to update his Register entry within 28 days to reflect cessation of his West Oxfordshire District Council position.
- No breach of Rule 12 found: Commissioner concluded Maynard did not deliberately provide incorrect information or seek to obstruct the investigation, though his piecemeal disclosures reflected inadequate due diligence.
- Committee found no evidence Maynard sought to gain advantage by non-disclosure and notes he was newly elected (July 2024), but his repeated failures across four separate areas demonstrate failure to conscientiously fulfil registration obligations.
Recommendations
- Maynard should make an apology to the House on a point of order for breaches of Rule 5, with wording agreed in advance with the Committee Chair.
- Maynard should commit to take a more diligent approach to registration of interests in future.
- Maynard should attend a training session with the Registrar of Members' Financial Interests on Rule 5 obligations.
- Committee will consider how to improve channels of communication between standards bodies to clarify advice pathways for Members.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Charlie Maynard (MP for Witney), Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards (Daniel Greenberg CB), Committee on Standards, Alberto Costa (Committee Chair), Registrar of Members' Financial Interests, William Day (barrister, 3VB Chambers), Marriott Harrison (law firm), Thames Water United Limited
Notable line
“Mr Maynard's repeated failures to register interests in four separate areas fall some distance short of conscientious fulfilment.”
Key Quotes
“… it did not occur to him that the pro bono legal advice required registration”
“"failed to undertake proper and thorough checks before providing his assurances", and that the "piecemeal approach" to informing him of his additional interests "does not reflect a properly conscientious approach towards the registration of interests".”
“I thought there would be more joined-up-ness, so if I had talked to x, I thought, "Well, I've got that covered now.”
“"[h]ow does one request advice on registering an interest if one is unaware of the need to do so in the first place?".”
“… entirely and unequivocally sorry”
“Qq21–23 25 Q1 26 Qq6–7, Q10 6 good enough to catch the mistakes that [he] had made." 27 Mr Maynard explained …”
“Members of Parliament are wholly responsible for understanding and complying with the Code of Conduct and may also at any time seek and follow advice, but responsibility for their actions is theirs and theirs alone”
“… incompetency and distraction rather than by design”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗