Sunak's wife business dealings with Russia

Yes I agree. Although you wouldnt believe how heated the new classroom debate can get . It is about integrity in public life however big or small the issue is.

Galaxy

You are declaring an interest then!

OK but that has never arisen and there would be no need to mention it before it was a potential problem.

"If"

We don't actually know the current situation. Perhaps a bit of wait and see? You never know, MrsSunak might even speak for herself.

With all due respect to those GNs who are school governors, your partner having a financial interest in a company from a country currently waging illegal war on another, and committing war crimes, is a slightly different scale to building classrooms. Especially if you are a senior politician

You are declaring an interest then!

Galaxy

So if your husband was a builder and the school was taking tenders for a new classroom and he was one of the applicants you wouldnt declare an interest.

I would abstain from any involvement in that decision-making process and mention the reason why. I would not volunteer any information about the business.

Please don't associate me with any suggestion that Rishi Sunak has no responsibility in any of this.

If his wife is making money from Russia, he needs to work with her to sort it out. We used to have politicians with integrity, that doesn't seem to be important any more. He doesn't get to plead ignorance or disinterest.

So if your husband was a builder and the school was taking tenders for a new classroom and he was one of the applicants you wouldnt declare an interest.

He isn’t making money from this company, his wife is - or was. We don’t have post-invasion information do we?

Your last paragraph is sickening GagaJo.

GagaJo

It's hypocrisy. How can someone both condemn a country for horrific war crimes and also make money from them?
Although I'm sadly aware that means less than nothing to most Tories.

Read volver's posts. SHE needs to do something about it, not her husband. For all we know – for all he knows – she is doing as we speak.

Galaxy

Baggs my husband isnt in public life I have to declare his business interests as a governor. Its bog standard procedure for many roles.

This surprises me, galaxy. I was a school governor for many years and never had to declare anything that wasn't directly my responsibility. At the moment I've several PVGs in place and again, nothing on them is about anyone else.

It's hypocrisy. How can someone both condemn a country for horrific war crimes and also make money from them?
Although I'm sadly aware that means less than nothing to most Tories.

Baggs my husband isnt in public life I have to declare his business interests as a governor. Its bog standard procedure for many roles.

Baggs

volver

Can you imagine if the partner of a female front bench Labour politician had links to a company that made money in Russia? I mean really, can you imagine the field day the papers would have?

Yes, I can. But that doesn't mean that an individual's rights and interests have to be declared by anyone but themselves or that their partner is responsible. A partner might not even know such details. People with political views at opposite ends of the spectrum have lived as married couple for ever.

If she is making money from a business interest in Russia, she needs to stop. Same as the oligarchs, and the supermarkets, and the Scottish farmers sending seed potatoes to Russia.

And no amount of pretending its nothing to do with Rishi will hack it. No amount of pretending she has a right to privacy will hack it either.

Now we know, she needs to do something about it. That's it.

Is it still true that you don't have to testify against your spouse even in a murder trial?

What is the law regarding MPs' conflicts of interest?

GagaJo

Baggs

He is not his wife. He doesn't have to answer for her. Where is feminism when you expect a husband to be "in charge" of his wife's business?

It isn't about him being in charge of her. It is about a man who may soon be our PM directly benefitting from a country who we may well soon be at war with.

Yes. So solve that problem when it happens.

Right now, his chances of becoming PM don't look very high.

Baggs

He is not his wife. He doesn't have to answer for her. Where is feminism when you expect a husband to be "in charge" of his wife's business?

It isn't about him being in charge of her. It is about a man who may soon be our PM directly benefitting from a country who we may well soon be at war with.

volver

Can you imagine if the partner of a female front bench Labour politician had links to a company that made money in Russia? I mean really, can you imagine the field day the papers would have?

Yes, I can. But that doesn't mean that an individual's rights and interests have to be declared by anyone but themselves or that their partner is responsible. A partner might not even know such details. People with political views at opposite ends of the spectrum have lived as married couple for ever.

Can you imagine if the partner of a female front bench Labour politician had links to a company that made money in Russia? I mean really, can you imagine the field day the papers would have?

PECS

I cannot agree with that Baggs. It has bugger all to do with feminism. In public life of any sort & any level, from volunteering with a Scout group to Prime Minister, you have to declare & be very honest about any potential conflicts of interest and potential financial gain for yourself or your spouse. I declare my partner's business interests as a school governor. Not because he is not entitled to do the work he does, but because decisions I make may impact positively on the that work & he could gain financially and may influence my decisions.

But Sunak's wife is not in "public life" and Rishi has said he has nothing to do with his wife's business.

Compare it with banking or health care. No-one else has a right to information on someone else's account without a power of attorney in place.

We've recently had a long and fractious thread about a High Street retailer who have done all they can to avoid supporting Russia, but still they get blamed for all manner of things.

Then we get this; oh its nothing to do with him, for all we know she's trying to divest herself of the interest, she probably can't get rid of them, sanctions have only just been introduced....

She could dump them. Just dump them. The value probably counts as pocket change to her. Or she could donate the money to helping Ukraine. Or she could give it to the government to help people out of poverty.

I won't be holding my breath till that happens.

We know that India continues to trade with Russia. He isn’t his wife’s keeper, distasteful though her involvement has become since the war started. Sanctions have only very recently been placed on Russia by the UK so what she’s received over the last year is irrelevant except to those who consider nobody should have any money. For all we know she may be trying to divest herself of her shares but I wouldn’t think there would be many takers in the current climate.

PECS

I cannot agree with that Baggs. It has bugger all to do with feminism. In public life of any sort & any level, from volunteering with a Scout group to Prime Minister, you have to declare & be very honest about any potential conflicts of interest and potential financial gain for yourself or your spouse. I declare my partner's business interests as a school governor. Not because he is not entitled to do the work he does, but because decisions I make may impact positively on the that work & he could gain financially and may influence my decisions.

Exactly.

I cannot agree with that Baggs. It has bugger all to do with feminism. In public life of any sort & any level, from volunteering with a Scout group to Prime Minister, you have to declare & be very honest about any potential conflicts of interest and potential financial gain for yourself or your spouse. I declare my partner's business interests as a school governor. Not because he is not entitled to do the work he does, but because decisions I make may impact positively on the that work & he could gain financially and may influence my decisions.