wide-ranging powers of the European Scrutiny Committee, set up to assess the legal and/or political importance of draft EU legislation. Documents from the House of Commons catering department released via Freedom of Information to openDemocracy, show Heaton-Harris hosted an ERG breakfast meeting in October 2017, despite taking over as a government whip in July 2016. Continuing to chair the group while he was a member of the government led to an accusation of violating the Ministerial Code, section 7.12 of which states: "Ministers should take care to ensure that they do not become associated with non-public organisations whose objectives may in any degree conflict with Government policy and thus give rise to a conflict of interest." However, a government spokesperson stated that they did not view it as a breach. Personal life Heaton-Harris is married and has two children. He is a qualified football referee. Honours He was sworn in as a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council on 16 February 2022 at Windsor Castle. This gave him the Honorific Prefix "The Right Honourable" for life. References External links Chris Heaton-Harris MP official constituency website Chris Heaton-Harris MP official Chris Heaton-Harris blog Chris Heaton-Harris MP Conservative Party profile Daventry Conservatives Profile at European Parliament website |- Living people 1967 births Alumni of the University of Wolverhampton Conservative Party (UK) MEPs Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies English football referees Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom MEPs for England 1999–2004 MEPs for England 2004–2009 People educated at Tiffin School People from Epsom Politicians from Leicestershire Politics of Lincolnshire UK MPs 2010–2015 UK MPs 2015–2017 UK MPs 2017–2019 UK MPs 2019–present Free Enterprise Group