Politically and morally corrupt
“Politically corrupt” is the damming indictment of the Conservative party from one of its former Prime Ministers, Sir John Major.
Last week, under instructions from Boris Johnson, Conservative MP’s including Sir John Redwood, Wokingham’s MP supported Owen Paterson.
Mr Paterson had been found to have egregiously breached lobbying rules on several occasions. Breaking Parliamentary standards rules when he was acting as a consultant for two private companies adding about £500,000 to his salary as an MP.
One of the businesses he lobbied for has also been awarded nearly £500m in government Covid contracts. It appears that the Prime Minister, Sir John Redwood and
250 or so other Conservatives do not agree with the Parliamentary standards committee who unanimously said Owen Patterson broke the rules.
In fact, they recommended that he be barred from Parliament for 30 days, one of the strongest recommendations that can be made.
Reading the Sunday newspapers there is also a pattern of other serious issues developing.
Sir Alex Allan resigned as an advisor on ministerial standards after no action was taken when he found Priti Patel, the Home Secretary had broken the ministerial code.
His successor, Lord Geidt found Boris Johnson had acted unwisely over the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat.
Apparently, Mr Johnson does not intend to declare in the register of interests his recent free holiday in the Marbella Villa of one of his Ministers, Lord Goldsmith.
Robert Jenrick as housing mnister rushed through the approval of a housing scheme for the billionaire Richard Desmond after sitting next to him at a fund-raising dinner.
During the pandemic lucrative contracts were handed out to friends and supporters of the Conservatives. I am sure we remember the failed Test & trace debacle which has cost us the taxpayers £37bn.
All this adds up to behaviour that Sir John Major has called “politically corrupt”, shameful, wrong, and unConservative. Sir John Major is simply saying what millions of lifelong Tory voters are thinking: Boris Johnson’s Conservative government no longer represents them.
The people running our government really have become a huge embarrassment both here at home and in the wider world. One rule for them, another for the rest of us. Cllr Clive Jones, leader of the
Liberal Democrat group on Wokingham Borough Council