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A Derby MP who called for a hike in council tax for rich property owners has admitted failing to declare that he owns a second property.

Chris Williamson, MP for Derby North, owns two properties in Derby – one of which he rents out.

Under Parliamentary rules, MPs who own a second home worth more than £100,000 – and/or earn more than £10,000 a year in rent from it – must declare it in the Register of Members’ Interests.

However, the Labour MP failed to do so and described the rules as “ambiguous”.

He said: “The second home is co-owned with my partner, with whom I share the mortgage.

“When I was previously Member of Parliament in 2010 I registered it, however coming back in 2017 the guidance on the Register of Interests had changed.

“I’ve informed the Parliamentary Registrar that the new guidance is ambiguous and consequently she had told me that she will consider amending it to make it clearer.

“Nevertheless, I am more than happy to update the record accordingly.”

According to Land Registry records, Mr Williamson owns two properties in Derby. His main family home, purchased in 2006, is worth approximately £250,000 and another property, jointly purchased by Mr Williamson and his partner Maggie Amsbury in 2005, is worth an estimated £215,000, reports the Mail Online.

Mr Williamson left the Labour front bench last week after he unveiled plans to raise council tax bills for the wealthy and freeze them for the poorest.

Under his proposals, properties in council tax bands D to H would rise, with a 100 per cent increase for the most expensive.

Mr Williamson denied being sacked for the suggestion which Labour chiefs feared could cost the party votes in London and other southern areas where property is more expensive.

A spokesman for the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards declined to comment on individual cases.

But said: "The Code of Conduct for Members and the Guide to the rules are reviewed periodically and any suggestions we receive are given careful consideration during any subsequent review. The content of the Code and the Guide to the Rules is, however, ultimately a matter for the House of Commons itself."