Ex-Tory MP and Army colonel 'Bosnia Bob' has parliamentary pass revoked

A former Tory MP has been stripped of his right to access the parliamentary estate after losing an appeal for his failure to register his employment by a defence company for two years.

Colonel (Retired) Bob Stewart is best known for his time in command of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Bosnia, where he earned the nickname "Bosnia Bob" because of how he dealt with the world's media during the conflict.

He was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his time leading troops there.

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The former Army officer has been told he will no longer be able to visit the Palace of Westminster using a former members' pass after a standards watchdog's conclusion that he showed "blatant disregard" in breaching conduct rules was upheld.

Former MPs are usually entitled to a parliamentary pass after they stand down, as Mr Stewart did at the 2024 general election.

But Parliament's Independent Expert Panel, which hears appeals against decisions by the committee on standards in cases involving an allegation of a breach of the MP code of conduct, found the privilege should be permanently revoked.

Mr Stewart had failed to register his employment as a consultant with Ksantex, a defence firm registered in Luxembourg but owned by Azerbaijan-born French citizen Khagani Bashirov, according to the committee.

The former Army officer was employed by Ksantex between 2015 and 2017 and was paid more than £70,000 over that period, which he was also found to have failed to declare.

He referred himself to Parliament's standards authority after media reporting suggested the job could conflict with his role as a member of the Commons Defence Committee.

In his initial defence, the former Beckenham MP said he had registered a role with a company he called VES Consultancy several years previously, which was part of the "same group of companies" as Ksantex.

Parliament's standards commissioner found the registry for VES Consultancy was incorrect, that the company in question was actually called Vnesh Expert Services, and that Mr Stewart did not register all his earnings from the role he undertook there.

After examining the commissioner's findings, the committee said in December that "for a senior member to commit several breaches, spanning three codes of conduct and a period of 14 years, shows a blatant disregard for the rules".

He also failed to "co-operate at all times" with the commissioner's inquiry, as required by the code of conduct, thereby delaying the investigation, the committee said, recommending he permanently lose his former MP's pass.

The panel concluded: "The retention of a pass giving access to the parliamentary estate following the end of a career as a member of the House is a significant privilege.

"We have no doubt that members of the public, apprised of the serious and longstanding breaches of the codes by Colonel Stewart, would find it incomprehensible if a lesser sanction than the permanent removal of the pass had been imposed."

Mr Stewart has been contacted for comment.