Sunday, December 03, 2006

Does your Tory MP sell hospitality in Parliament...?

More bad news for David Cameron: He faces investigation after hosting a series of fundraising events in the House of Commons.

According to the Sunday Times, David Cameron and other senior Conservatives have been hosting events in Parliament which are offered as enticements to donors to become members of exclusive high subscription “Patrons Clubs”.

This would appear to be in direct contravention to Parliamentary rules.

East Midlands Labour MP John Mann (Bassetlaw) who has handed a dossier to the Parliamentary Commissioner says:

“We have presented enough evidence to the parliamentary commissioner to justify a detailed investigation. Cameron should have to repay every penny his party has raised through these illicit events.”
If you have a Tory MP, it's worth asking if they or their Constituency Association run a Patron Club which offers dinners in Parliament.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

And if you have a Labour MP, it is worth asking if they sell peerages. If fact report them to Millbank if they don't...

Get your loved ones the perfect present for Xmas...a place in the House of Lords.

And be assured that every penny will be going to a Prime Minister who will be very grateful. He will invest the money in worthy projects. He recently spent several thousand pounds of the money donated to the People's Party on his wife's hair.

Throw in an extra million, and choose your own policy...see the comments of satified customers below.

Bernie Ecclestone of Monaco said: "It's the best million I have ever spent. Not only did I get an exemption from the tabacco advertising ban...they gave me my money back!"

Fund manager Lord Levy said: "You can't get peerages and policies anywhere else at such a bargain price. We'll even send Tony round to have a celebratory cup of tea with you".

And remember that slogan...
"Vote Labour...we'll invade Iraq!".

fairdealphil said...

michael:

you really should cancel your subscription to the mail-on-sunday - or apply for a job with them.

I don't suppose you're interested in the facts, but here's a few anyway...

First, I'm delighted to inform you know that Labour's promised ban on tobacco advertising has been successfully introduced in all sports, yes, including Formula One.

After announcing the blanket ban on tobacco advertising in all sports in 1997, the Labour Government agreed to give international sports - Formula One and World Snooker more time to find alternative sources of funding.

This was in response to fears that Britain might lose the Formula One industry overseas to Asian countries who were bidding for it at the time.

(I can imagine the outrage had there been an immediate ban resulting in loss of the British F1 industry).

The Labour Party immediately then sought advice on Bernie Ecclestone's pre-election donation from Sir Patrick Neill, head of the standards committee.

On his advice, Labour returned Ecclestone's donation.

I would remind you that the Bernie Ecclestone donation was in the public domain only because Labour published the names of its donors - something the Tories had never done.

Personally, I believe Bernie Ecclestone should be honoured for his contribution to the British economy through F1.

Unfortunately, the fact that he has donated to a political party exempts him from being considered.

Anonymous said...

A bit cheap coming from the Party that invented hospitality in Downing Street.

Anonymous said...

My wife Morag attended one such reception. She reports in her diary that "I went to one such reception".

She doesn't know that I read her diary so please don't tell her.

fairdealphil said...

geoffrey:

i don't think Labour "invented" hospitality in Downing Street, but it was a wonderful feeling to walk over the threshold of Number Ten in May 1997 and know that it belonged to the people again.

Glad it's been opened to a wider audience since.