McCrea cleared of misconduct

It is understood that the Assembly Standards Commissioner, Douglas Bain, has cleared Lagan Valley ML Basil McCrea of breaching the Stormont Code of Conduct.

The NI21 leader faced allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards staff members. However, he always strenuously denied the allegations.

The complaints came to light in 2014, on the eve of the European and local council elections.

The media storm surrounding the allegations led to a split between Mr McCrea and the co-founder of NI21 John McCalister.

A lengthy report is expected to be published in March and it is believed some of the more personal details contained in a draft report may be withheld from the published version.

Mr Bain is thought to have dismissed the allegations against the Lagan Valley MLA and also noted that Mr McCrea was not acting in his capacity as an MLA during some of the incidents under investigation.

Mr McCrea has so far declined to comment on the matter, however he has indicated that he hopes to be able to speak freely on the subject in the near future.