Was Keith Vaz promised an honour in return for supporting 42 days?
Written by Mark Pack on 2nd July 2008 – 1:56 pmThe Daily Telegraph has the story:
Gordon Brown is under pressure to reveal whether Keith Vaz, the influential head of a Parliamentary Committee, has been offered a peerage or honour in return for backing the Government’s controversial counter-terrorism measures.
The Daily Telegraph has seen a private letter sent by chief whip Geoff Hoon to Mr Vaz expressing an expectation that his former ministerial colleague will be “appropriately rewarded” for backing the measure to hold terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge.
Mr Vaz is the Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee. He was previously opposed to the plans but later offered his full backing. He made a major speech during the debate on the proposals which is thought to have won over some backbench MPs. Securing his backing was seen as crucial by the Government …
The Prime Minister has been accused of offering rebel backbenchers a series of deals in exchange of their votes but the chief whip’s letter may provide the first hard evidence that rewards were potentially available to those supportive of the plans.
Posted in News
2nd July 2008 at 2:08 pm
Who leaked the letter to the telegraph (and Cameron, with a view to PMQs)?
And what will Vaz’s ‘appropriate reward’ be?
2nd July 2008 at 2:20 pm
The word that’s been going round for the last fortnight is that Vaz has been offered a knighthood.
2nd July 2008 at 2:29 pm
Anyone need a passport?
2nd July 2008 at 2:52 pm
Knighthood, maybe. Peerage, no - If the whole point of crowbarring 42 days onto the statute book was to save face, he’s hardly going to agree to anything that lands him with a by-election in Leicester a few months down the line.
2nd July 2008 at 3:17 pm
Go and read his Wikipedia page. He’s as rotten as they come.
2nd July 2008 at 4:11 pm
“Go and read his Wikipedia page”
Good tip.
In February 1990, he wrote in The Guardian newspaper urging Salman Rushdie not to publish the book in paperback because “there is no such thing as absolute freedom of speech”.
2nd July 2008 at 6:59 pm
Asquith.
Actually, he’s a fallible human being just like you and I.
I see no reason to resort to Daily Mail headlines. It just demeans us.
Let’s stay out of the gutter please!
2nd July 2008 at 8:41 pm
Right. Which do you find more offensive, words I write on the internet or Keith Vaz & his mates supporting for authoritarian, demagogic policies & failing to stand up for liberty, which has helped the government enact these policies?
You are like those people who complain about four-letter words & depictions of consensual sex, without batting an eyelid at the real immorality & obscenity which goes on in thr world.
2nd July 2008 at 11:26 pm
No asquith!
You don’t know who I am, so to say ” you are like …” is a ****ing judgemental comment to make.
That is my point. You are being aggressive and obnoxious.
I absolutely agree that KV is authoritarian and has no idea of the mess he’s causing, but I’m not involved in politics, and especially with the LibDems to get involved in slagging matches.
As a test: would you use the same words on the doorstep, when out campaigning for your local LD parliamentary candidate, as you use on this blog?
I hope not!
2nd July 2008 at 11:28 pm
And… this is my real name. You can google me, look up my address, and arrive on my doorstep.
To me, that’s liberal politics. It’s about being responsible and accountable for your words and actions and behaving in a manner that exemplifies your values.
If someone takes offence at something I say, they know where to find me.
Does Keith Vaz know where to find you?