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Sir George Osborne MP: Hiding Half a Million from RMI?
Sir George Osborne the wallpaper heir has admitted receiving the best part of half a million pounds without declaring it on the register of members' interests (RMI).
According to the Mail on Sunday headline he is blaming an administrative cock up at the parliament end for his concealment of the provenance of £487,000 of fat cat contributions to his utterly mendacious Treasury operation. Perhaps the donors were embarrassed by his persistent fibs?
Cameron claimed live on Andrew Marr's AM programme today that they got an email from the authorities saying "you don't need to bother". But he didn't mention that any advice along those lines had now been changed or that other Shadow Cabinet members had similar slush funds laundered by the same route. Apart from two brains Willetts - above board. Cameron and Osborne are in glass houses, not quite managing to resist throwing stones.
UPDATE 15:29: Good to see the Thatcherite blogger Donal Blaney calling for Osborne to get the same rocket as Hain.
6 comments:
Entertained by the entry ... disagree with the analysis.
Osborne has registered the dontions with the EC but, having received advice, did not register it on his personal register with the Commons.
The silliness of the system is what creates the difficulty here ... not the failure to notice that you've received twice as much money as you've declared.
Hi Evan And Happy New Year. Obviously what's emerged during the course of the day is that although the payments have been coming in - and passported for GOO and other Mimicsters all year - the first request for guidance was 7th December 2007, 11 months or so after the question should have arisen. The rubric as quoted by the MoS (always a marvellously reliable source don't you think?) seemed pretty clear. If it had someone's name on it it should go in the RMI.
We'll see. Hain is a clown. But what he's done is not the sea to drink. Pas la mer a boire. Probably not anyway. And they are all at it. one way and another.
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!
The rules the Government brought in, with different people to report to, with reporting requirements subject to rules, advice, guidance and law is clearly not sensible; of course, I would say it was typical of Labour's regulatory environment!
Most MPs have at least tried to comply; seeking advice where unclear. Peter Hain is a clown, I agree; and I suspect that we have similar views about the MoS.
Mmmm Evan, I don't think the 11 month delay combined with the full compliance of Mr Willetts looks very clever really. Presumably the donations should have been registered by CCHQ and then also by any accountable bodies (e.g. MPs) they pass chunks on to, and in the case of MPs etc also in RMI. I suspect that the Tories are playing fast and loose and am still wiating for more developments with Flying Liars and Cashcroft.
How's your brother-in-law's investigation going in respect of Flying Lion? Please let us know!
The delay in seeking advice is probably understandable in the context of the news at the time.
It is interesting to see that you forgive Hain on the basis that he is a clown, but you suspect the Tories of 'playing fast and loose'. That in essence is part of the problem ...
Have a look at my entry for today and see what you think - let me know.
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