Sour grapes, Guido? He won’t dare tell his readers, but Sarah Teather has been fully cleared

Alas, poor Guido Fawkes. Blogger Paul Staines has posted so often, and with such utter certainty, claiming that there’s something dodgy about Sarah Teather’s expense claims that he seems just a mite reluctant to admit, “I was wrong”.

Which is why you won’t find him reporting today that Sarah Teather has been cleared by the Electoral Commission, instead insinuating that Sarah got off on a technicality.

For the benefit, therefore, of Paul and his readers, here’s what the Electoral Commission said following their review of the case:

… following the inquiries made during this stage, we have satisfied that there is no evidence of unreported donations to the Brent Liberal Democrats. We are satisfied that the evidence before us indicates that the Liberal Democrats have in fact been supporting your work as an MP and there is no evidence to suggest that you have been using your parliamentary allowances to support party work, or make donations to them.

It’s also why you won’t find Paul reporting that the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, John Lyon, also looked at the evidence and has written to Sarah to say:

I would like to make clear that, on the basis of the evidence which I received, at the time I discontinued this inquiry I had not established grounds for believing that over the period 2004–05 to 2007–08—the period into which I inquired—your claims from parliamentary funds for your office provided support to the costs of your political party.”

And it’s is why you won’t find Paul reporting that after John Lyon dropped the investigation, he then got another complaint – this time not from a forged address – and rejected that too, saying:

He can only accept a complaint for an inquiry where he is satisfied that the complainant has provided him with sufficient evidence to justify his making an inquiry. He does not consider that the evidence you have provided, which he has already considered, is sufficient to justify him making a further inquiry.”

We all get it wrong sometimes, Paul. The grown-up thing is to admit it, and move on.