Oh, dear, more sleaze! Do we need to change the way that parties are funded?

Grantanow

I think Warburton should go but I see no prospect of that. As to replacing him with a Lib Dem I worry the Lib Dems will join a Tory-led coalition as they did under Cameron. Of course, they would deny it now, wouldn't they (to paraphrase Mandy Rice-Davies)?

The LibDems have learned a hard lesson.

They put country before party and were punished by the billionaire funded Tories and by the electorate who gave them no credit for the good policies the LibDems forced through during the coalition and the bad policies that were blocked.

There is no way that the LibDems would enter a coalition with the Tories after the next General Election - NO WAY>

Whitewavemark2

Yes I know that. But refusing to answer the question that he has an interest in Moderna, does not speak well, not in the light of his declaration of integrity, professionalism and accountability on becoming PM.

I believe the purpose of a blind trust is so that the owner does not know what shares the trust is holding. Sunak would not have been able to declare an interest or declare he didn't have an interest because he would not have known. I'm all for holding people to account but you can't attack them if they have done the proper thing, which as far as we know, the PM has. I think it's of interest that his wife, who was completely entitled to have Non Dom status ,decided to be taxed as a UK resident when it was clear that it was becoming a problem. I wonder how many spouses of MPs would have taken that decision?

If I could be bothered, which I cant, I would be looking around at all the other 206 countries or whatever the number is, in the world to find out how they do it.
I suspect there are better methods than what is in the Uk.

Conservatives are beholden to donors? Labour is beholden to unions. I couldnt tell you who the other parties are beholden to.

I think Warburton should go but I see no prospect of that. As to replacing him with a Lib Dem I worry the Lib Dems will join a Tory-led coalition as they did under Cameron. Of course, they would deny it now, wouldn't they (to paraphrase Mandy Rice-Davies)?

Yes I know that. But refusing to answer the question that he has an interest in Moderna, does not speak well, not in the light of his declaration of integrity, professionalism and accountability on becoming PM.

Whitewavemark2

It is called a conflict of interest.

He didn’t declare his interest in the company.

In 2019 Mr. Sunak declared he had a Blind Trust

A Blind Trust is independently administered in order that people in public positions do not have a conflict of interests.

It is called a conflict of interest.

He didn’t declare his interest in the company.

Whitewavemark2

Sunak was a founding partner, but left in 2013. However it is thought that he retained shares in the company, because when asked in 2020, if he was profiting from Moderna, he refused to answer.

Just like Zahawi. Refuse to reply in the hope it will go away.

Should there be a ban all MP’s from holding shares?

If so what other professions should also be banned?

Mr.Sunak did not cause the pandemic, the vaccine companies made a lot of money, they also prevented people from dying and enabled the world to return to normalcy.

Yet more

Carol Vorderman

MICHELLE MONE other facts
Barrowman (husband) will be on trial in Spain in May for criminal fraud
Last yr police raided their homes & offices, charges pending?
It's claimed that B & Mone illegally benefited from upwards of £58m from PPE Medpro through trusts.

Sunak was a founding partner, but left in 2013. However it is thought that he retained shares in the company, because when asked in 2020, if he was profiting from Moderna, he refused to answer.

Just like Zahawi. Refuse to reply in the hope it will go away.

Theleme invested in Moderna, Rishi Sunak left Theleme in 2013.

I see questions are now being asked about Sunak and his share holding in Moderna.

Conflict of interest and not declared apparently.

Every single day another scandal.

My goodness they need to go.

growstuff

Fingers crossed for the LibDems varian. Quite honestly, if Warburton stands in the next election and wins, the voters of Somerton and Frome will go down in my estimation.

Unfortunately growstuff the constituency of Somerton and Frome is due to disappear when the Tories gerrymandering redrawing of the electoral map comes into force before the next election.

The Somerton and Frome Conservative Association are happy to let Warburton continue to collect his MP's salary, knowing that they will find different candidates for the two new constituencies which will be carved up and in place by the next election.

If we lived in a democracy, where politicians needed the support of the majority of voters, these people would be charged with corruption.

More

“PPE has lost an astonishing £14.9bn to fraud, it was overseen by Matt Hancock, Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings.

They should all be on trial along with Michelle Mone.”

It is ridiculous how long it takes for multiple allegations to be investigated and come to a verdict.

You know me, I have to check out the facts. In this parliament 13 MPs have gone. Of those, 4 died in office, 4 accepted posts outside Westminster, 4 resigned after sexual misconduct was proven, and one because he broke paid advocacy rules. Is that numerous?
The real point is that there is nothing in the rules to say MPs have to leave parliament, even when they break the law, it is down to their consciences.

Numerous other MPs have had to resign for just one misdemenour.

Sex, drugs, dodgy Russian money? How much more should it take?

Yes, he has.
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/all-the-reasons-why-tory-mps-have-been-suspended_uk_63bea63fe4b0b2e1506ccee4

Casdon

He had been suspended and was sitting as an independent last I heard, I’ll double check.

You're right - according to Wiki anyway.

He had been suspended and was sitting as an independent last I heard, I’ll double check.

I hadn't realised he'd lost the whip.

varian

It is not easy to identify all the members of the ERG but I happen to know that my MP , David Warburton, has been listed as a member of the ERG and seems to be very close to Jacob Rees Mogg.

Could this possibly explain why some nine months after his exposure in the Sunday papers as having dubious financial dealings with a very dodgy Russian, having been accused of sexual assault by three different women (lurid details available from The Sun) and strong evidence (photos and mobile phone evidence) of him taking class A drugs, David Warburton has still not resigned as an MP and enabled the voters of Somerton and Frome to replace him with a good Liberal Democrat?

Is Warburton being protected by the all-powerful ERG?

No, I don’t think it does suggest he is being protected varian. 14 MPs have lost the party whip during this parliament, and the rules allow them to continue as independent MPs until the next general election. In that respect Warburton is no different to any other MP.
I do think the rules should be changed so that if the whip is lost a by election is triggered, but you’d have to be a conspiracy theorist to single him out compared with the others who have lost the whip,

varian re your post of 18.05.41

That's why I'd like to see Media Studies in schools.

In the olden days (before the National Curriculum) one of the topics we studied in PSE (personal and social education) was comparing how different media outlets reported different stories and discussed why they might have different approaches. I guess that would be considered far too "woke" these days.

Fingers crossed for the LibDems varian. Quite honestly, if Warburton stands in the next election and wins, the voters of Somerton and Frome will go down in my estimation.