Rachel Gilmour (Lib Dem, Tiverton & Minehead) after her victory at the general election in July 2024, where she defeated Ian Liddell-Grainger, right. Picture: Somerset Leveller

Somerset MP refers herself to watchdog over son’s role

Paul JonesJanuary 14, 20250 Comment0

SOMERSET MP Rachel Gilmour is facing a probe by parliamentary standards chiefs over her son’s role setting up her office.

Ms Gilmour (Lib Dem, Tiverton & Minehead) won the newly-created county seat at July’s general election, defeating former Bridgwater and West Somerset MP, Conservative Ian Liddell-Grainger.

However, six months into the role, she referred herself to IPSA (the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority) over the role of her son, Henry Oliver.

Political website Guido Fawkes claims Mr Oliver works at polling firm Opinium Research, and that Ms Gilmour has referred herself to the watchdog after her son helped set up her parliamentary office.

MPs were banned from employing their spouse or other close relatives after the 2017 general election, when IPSA said the practice was “out of step” with modern employment processes.

However, Ms Gilmour said her son was never ’employed’ and that he helped set up her office in a “voluntary role”.

Mr Oliver is not mentioned in the MP’s register of interests but is detailed in a list of MPs’ staff, with no other ‘relevant gainful occupation, employment, gift or benefit’ listed – a move Ms Gilmour said was an “honest mistake”.

She said: “This was an honest mistake, Henry was assisting me with the setting up of my office in a voluntary capacity after I was elected.

“This was a voluntary role only and Henry was not employed as a paid staff member.

“As soon as I became aware of this mistake, I rescinded his pass and referred myself to the Standards Commissioner.”

Ms Gilmour would not be the first Minehead MP to come under scrutiny over the role of a family member. Her predecessor, Mr Liddell-Grainger, who represented Bridgwater & West Somerset between 2010 and 2024, came under fire in 2010 when he listed his wife and two eldest children as members of his staff.

His wife, Jill, continued to be employed as his parliamentary secretary, with a salary of some £35,000, until he left parliament, as those employed before the 2017 ban were not affected.

James Wright, south west chair of the Conservative Rural Forum

In response to the report James Wright, an Exmoor farmer and south west chair of the Conservative Rural Forum, said: “Tiverton and Minehead needs strong leadership from someone who actually cares for our community.”