Jonathan Sayeed

Tory MP Jonathan Sayeed has survived a constituency no confidence motion and will be allowed to stand for re-election.

A meeting of local activists at Mid-Bedfordshire Conservative Association voted by 173 votes to 126 to keep him as their candidate despite him being found guilty of breaking parliamentary rules.

The MP is currently serving a two week suspension from the Commons after failing to declare links with a company that organised tours of the Palace of Westminster.

He has also had the Tory whip withdrawn for a month over the row.

After the vote Sayeed called for members to move on from the dispute.

"I am deeply grateful to the association for trusting me with the considerable responsibility of being their MP," he said.

He added: "What has happened over the past few weeks caused a considerable degree of dissention.

"It is behind us now, that is the end of it, we are going to get on and win the election and that is our job."

However, association president Sir Stanley Odell resigned in protest at the decision.

English Manner

The MP was rebuked by the standards and privileges committee earlier this month following a complaint over his links to the company that organised tours of parliament.

He had a 30 per cent shareholding in English Manner Limited, whose role included providing assistance to US tourists during their visits to Britain.

Sayeed said that when he was entertaining English Manner's clients in the Palace of Westminster it was in a personal capacity because at least one member of each group was a personal friend.

The committee's report said: "Taken together, Mr Sayeed's conduct has fallen well below the standards the House expects, and risks damaging its reputation."

"We accept... that there is no evidence that Mr Sayeed received any direct financial benefit from any of the occasions on which he entertained in the House guests who had links with the English Manner Limited.

But it added: "In principle, Mr Sayeed stands to gain financially from the benefits that accrued to the English Manner Limited from clients, and others connected with it, visiting the House."

It was also found that the MP "failed to register certain overseas visits made on behalf of the English Manner Limited within the prescribed time limit."