LABOUR SUSPENDS PERRAN MOON OVER COVID LOAN QUESTIONS

Perran Moon, the MP for Camborne and Redruth, is understood to have lost the Labour whip in the House of Commons while the party examines questions about a Covid business loan. He is the second Labour MP suspended over concerns about repayment of taxpayer-funded pandemic loans. The questions concern finance obtained by Autoswot Limited, a company Moon co-owns. Moon said the business took out a bounce back loan to cover staffing and other essential costs during the pandemic.

Companies House records identify Autoswot Limited as an online training company established in 2019. The business is reported to have borrowed £50,000, the maximum available under the scheme. An attempt was made to wind up the company in November 2022. Moon said the business ceased trading in late 2022 after what he called “unforeseen external market pressures”. He said it had begun repaying the loan and continued making payments until it stopped trading.

Moon said Autoswot Limited intended to repay the loan when it applied for the money. He said the company had regularly sought professional advice about its statutory obligations. Moon also said he took those obligations seriously as a director. He said: “In order for these matters to be looked into, I have voluntarily referred myself to the Labour Party's investigations process and will cooperate fully with this process.”