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Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw Dispatches criticised Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw 'broke no lobbying rules'
(34 minutes later)
Channel 4's Dispatches programme has been criticised by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner for "distorted" reporting of undercover meetings with Jack Straw and Sir Malcolm Rifkind. Ex-foreign secretaries Jack Straw and Sir Malcolm Rifkind have been cleared of breaking lobbying rules after an undercover TV investigation.
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the commissioner believes there is "nothing that merits criticism" of the two former foreign secretaries. The two had denied wrong-doing after discussing possible future work with Dispatches programme reporters posing as staff of a fake Chinese firm.
The report suggests Mr Straw should not have held a meeting with the reporters, posing as representatives of a company, in his Commons office, but that there were extenuating circumstances. Parliament's standards commissioner said neither broke Commons rules.
The story led to Sir Malcolm standing down as an MP, and is thought to have prevented Mr Straw's widely-expected elevation to the House of Lords. Sir Malcolm said it was "shoddy journalism" that "fiddled the facts". Channel 4 stood by its programme.
In a statement it said: "Channel 4 Dispatches stands by its journalism; this was a fair and accurate account of what the two MPs said. This investigation was in the public interest and revealed matters which were of serious public concern."