He was elected at the
1987 general election as
Member of Parliament (MP) for
Kirkcaldy, and served until he retired from the
House of Commons at the
2005 general election. He served as a
junior minister at the
Ministry of Defence. On 13 May 2005 it was announced that he would be created a
life peer, and on 22 June 2005 the peerage was
gazetted as
Baron Moonie, of Bennochy in
Fife.
The 'Cash for Influence' Scandal In late-January 2009
The Sunday Times involved Lord Moonie in a classic 'sting operation'. Along with three other Labour peers, Lord Moonie was approached by a reporter. Of the four, Lord Moonie was the only one subsequently cleared by the House of Lords Sub-committee on Lords' Interests. In the newspaper sting, "Moonie said he would contact Healey and offered to identify people who could put down an amendment." He quoted an annual fee for his assistance of
£30,000. Lord Moonie is quoted as saying "I did not agree to amend the legislation. I agreed to seek to help to find a way of trying to amend the legislation." The House of Lords Sub-committee on Lords' Interests was asked to report on the matter. It found that "on the standard of proof that we have set, we do not find that Lord Moonie expressed a clear willingness to breach the Code by promoting amendments on behalf of lobbyists in return for payment." The Lords' Privileges Committee considered the sub-committee's report. It published its findings on 14 May 2009. It agreed that Lord Moonie had not breached the code. ==Personal life==