Lord Waheed Alli, has he bought the government?

‘Boris Johnson has defended a £160,000 donation made to the Conservatives by a former Russian minister's wife in return for a tennis match with him.
Confirming the 2014 match, which was also set to include David Cameron, took place, he warned against creating a "miasma of suspicion" against Russians.
"To the best of my knowledge, all possible checks have been made and... will continue to be made" on donations.
Lubov Chernukhin had bid at a fundraising auction at a Tory event.
Mr Johnson was mayor of London in 2014. The match was reported at the time - Mrs Chernukhin is a longstanding Conservative Party donor whose husband served under Vladimir Putin.
Russia hints UK lab was nerve agent source
Russian spy: What we know
The tennis match against Mr Johnson and the then prime minister Mr Cameron was among items auctioned off at the Conservative Party summer ball in the summer of 2014.
Law firm Carter Ruck confirmed at the time that the successful bidder was Mrs Chernukhin, whose husband Vladimir was deputy finance minister under Mr Putin between 2000 and 2002.
Asked about it on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Johnson said: "If there is evidence of gross corruption in the way that gentleman in question obtained his wealth... then it's possible for our law enforcement agencies to deprive him of his wealth with an unexplained wealth order - that is a matter for the authorities, it's not a matter for me."
'Quite extraordinary’
I’d forgotten about Johnson’s tennis match fundraiser!

Apparently the emails to businesses offering this 'breakfast' came from Labour's 'commercial team'. I hope they get a b*llocking.

As I said earlier (or words to that effect), their PR team is just useless. More hindrance than help.

MaizieD hopefully they are reading the room at last

Thanks MaizeD for this.
I posted earlier about my first exposure aged 20 in 1969 when I was PA to the ceo/owner of a construction company. I enjoyed the challenging role. Naively I was stunned by the level of schoomizing of important clients. One of my family bravely set up their own business. Similar schmozzing is a Thing. One of my daughters left teaching and runs a successful PT business - no schmoozing there, just hard work.
It’s such an established part of our culture but in Parliament/politics needs to be put on the beyond the pale level

I've just found this from The Guardian. I hope it's true:

Ed Miliband has urged his party to stop selling access to senior government ministers, after it emerged Labour had offered company bosses breakfast with the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, for up to £30,000.

The energy secretary defended his cabinet colleague on Friday, saying he knew nothing about the breakfast, details of which were revealed by the Sun on Thursday night. Labour officials say the business breakfast is not going ahead.

Asked about the breakfast with Reynolds, Miliband said: “Don’t do it again, is my message.” He insisted Reynolds had no plans to attend the event, but added: “The answer is – whether it is me or Jonathan Reynolds – it is not about paying to have access. That is not what we are about, no.”

A Labour spokesperson said: “The business secretary isn’t involved in this, was completely unaware, and isn’t attending.”

www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/04/dont-do-it-again-miliband-tells-labour-over-30000-breakfast-with-minister

Apparently the emails to businesses offering this 'breakfast' came from Labour's 'commercial team'. I hope they get a b*llocking.

🙈👍

GrannyGravy13

MaizieD

P.S Reeves doesn't have a clue, but neither had any recent tory chancellors...

👍

None of them has a clue about astronomy either!

Black holes 😁

MaizieD

P.S Reeves doesn't have a clue, but neither had any recent tory chancellors...

👍

P.S Reeves doesn't have a clue, but neither had any recent tory chancellors...

I, for one, expected better of the seemingly sensible, staid, somewhat serious Starmer.

So did I, Alliraa, but it was more in the policy and actions line that I expected better. The WFA fiasco was so ill judged and unnecessary.

OTOH, I have always been apprehensive about their economic policy because Reeves doesn't have a clue. That was obvious way before the GE.

The tories, BTW, have always had events at which they charged people enormous amounts for direct access to ministers. I thought it corrupt. I am deeply disappointed that Labour is following suit.

eazybee

Yes, I saw Private Eye this morning!
This huge black hole that they won't allow to be investigated, and all the borrowing; who will be paying it back.
Business Secretary offering businesses exclusive breakfast with his department at £30,000 a pop,
This is allowed?

The breakfasts were being discussed this morning on the early news, and again by Alistair Campbell & Rory Stewart on ITV (This Morning) when I got home from the gym.

Yes, I saw Private Eye this morning!
This huge black hole that they won't allow to be investigated, and all the borrowing; who will be paying it back.
Business Secretary offering businesses exclusive breakfast with his department at £30,000 a pop,
This is allowed?

eazybee that’s how I feel, despite willing to give them a chance. Still hoping they will succeed, but having serious doubts.

It’s just different snouts in a different trough.

I had a Quick Look £8 million a day on migrant hotels (Home Office figures) £22 billion for carbon capture, £11 billion for international climate change aid. So they are adding to the Black Hole, (although despite a F of I request being denied they insist is there) but cannot afford to keep pensioners warm!

Business Secretary offering businesses exclusive breakfast with his department at £30,000 a pop, or £15,000 for multiple businesses.

Where are the PR and Spin Doctors, who is advising them that the optics look good?

MaizieD, surely the whole point is that the Conservatives were a bunch of freebie taking sleaze buckets? They only did what Labour accused them of, endlessly.

So whataboutery doesn't really work.

I love Private Eye. No party is safe.

Your astonishment at what you see as a concentrated campaign against Labour has been generated by disgust when discovering that while Labour was campaigning relentlessly against Tory sleaze, some of its more prominent members were already accepting generous gifts for their personal use.

You really cannot take the moral high ground whilst doing exactly the same as your criticise your opponent for. Many people expected better of Starmer. I thought he was dull, phlegmatic, but honest.
I do not trust him at all now.

Good post Allira and exactly my opinion.
I also think that all politicians, of any colour, should not be allowed to take any free gifts. This goes much further back than Starmer or Johnson. There is absolutely no way that these gifts are given without expectation of some return.

You only have to type in sleaze and different governments or PMs to find that this has been going on for a long time.
The difference is how easy it is to find it now, compared to before the surge of internet usage.

MaizieD Fri 04-Oct-24 09:06:54

Thank you for finding that, MaizueD

Yes, there was censure which some are trying to deny. "Sleaze" was the word associated with the Tory Government.
Yes, the amount is more than Starmer has accepted so far but it's early days yet - however, it might stop now he has been widely censured.

The amount of the financial gifts is not the point. It is the hypocrisy which is the point.

I, for one, expected better of the seemingly sensible, staid, somewhat serious Starmer.

It's disappointing especially when one of the first actions of his Government was to take away the WFA from pensioners.
They need new advisers because the ones they have don't have a clue about PR.

Ah yes, Casdon, that's a possibility.

Rekarie

I'm a bit baffled about the names of his children. Personally I don't give a hoot, but if they were born in England or Wales a copy of the birth certificates is available too anyone who applies.

Presumably if that is part of a super injunction it is exempt from the usual rules? Regardless, I don’t care about what any politician’s children are called, and it really doesn't fall into any category of ‘need to know’ for the public.

Yes so why the big mystery played out on SM

I'm a bit baffled about the names of his children. Personally I don't give a hoot, but if they were born in England or Wales a copy of the birth certificates is available too anyone who applies.

Casdon

Allira

Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose.

Or in other words, this all makes little difference to the way any government operates or the decisions it makes. It’s not a central issue, and it never was, the real scandals are elsewhere in their cupboards.

I do agree with you, Casdon. This demonisation is going to make little difference to actual government.

I have been on Gnet, for a start. I checked back on postings in 2020/21. They're not obsessing over every penny Johnson scrounged from his wealthy friends.

The personal donations Starmer has had pale into insignificance when compared with what Johnson scrounged.

I don't recall twitter being aflame with vicious rumours about him; plenty of recitation of verifiable discreditable facts about him because I follow centre/left type people, but nothing like what is happening now.

I stand by my claim that this is an orchestrated campaign. It has gone on for too long and is too high profile in the media. Normally such a media fuss would have been over in a week or two, if not a few days.

The clip I've posted is from Private Eye. Not a source that is often wrong, they can't afford the law suits...

I cannot agree with all Starmers politics, I do however agree with his decision to keep all information relating to his children private

It is a greater security risk sadly that his children are Jewish.