Tag Archives: tory sleaze

Scrapping of crony committee – Wendy Chamberlain hails a “victory for democracy”

By NewsHound | Tue 9th November 2021 - 5:31 pm

Responding to the government tabling a motion to scrap its proposed new standards committee, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain, who led yesterday’s emergency Commons debate on standards, said:

“It is a victory for democracy and decency that the government has finally scrapped their crony committee for good.

“This reflects the strength of feeling shown by MPs across the political spectrum at yesterday’s emergency debate.

“But this U-turn comes too late to undo the damage done to Boris Johnson and his government’s reputation. People won’t easily forget that the Tories tried to …

Posted in News | Also tagged wendy chamberlain mp | 6 Comments

Lib Dems demand public enquiry into Tory sleaze ahead of Commons debate

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 7th November 2021 - 10:00 pm

Last week, Wendy Chamberlain secured a parliamentary debate following the fiasco over the standards process votes. Here she is proposing it:

This is Boris Johnson’s Super League moment. This corrupt government thought they could get away with rigging the system without anyone realising. Now they have been forced into a humiliating U-turn after a huge public backlash. pic.twitter.com/eIpC6d2aJY

— Wendy Chamberlain MP (@wendychambLD) November 4, 2021

And later she spoke to Sky News:

Interview with SkyNews, on Govt's U-turn on rewriting sleaze rules, after I secured an emergency debate on standards, to force ministers to answer questions about this. Lord Evans said this is a retrograde step for our democracy and I absolutely agree. https://t.co/8a4cTXrHVj

— Wendy Chamberlain MP (@wendychambLD) November 4, 2021

Ahead of tomorrow’s debate, the party has given an indication of what we hope to achieve. We have called for an independent public inquiry into government sleaze and allegations of political corruption, warning that Boris Johnson’s Conservatives are “releasing sewage into our rivers and sleaze into our politics.” The inquiry would look into various scandals including the awarding of lucrative Covid contracts to those with political links to the Conservative Party, Boris Johnson’s failure to declare that holidays abroad and the redecoration of his Downing Street flat were paid for by party donors, and last week’s attempt to block the suspension of former Conservative MP Owen Paterson after he was found to have breached lobbying rules.

The inquiry would have the power to summon witnesses and require them to give evidence under oath, including current and former government ministers and officials, and demand the disclosure of any relevant official documents and communications.

The party is also demanding that any MPs under investigation for breaking parliamentary rules should be barred from taking part in Commons votes on disciplinary issues.

Posted in News | Also tagged featured, Parliament and wendy chamberlain | 3 Comments

How YOU can send the Tories a message from North Shropshire

By Lisa Smart | Sat 6th November 2021 - 8:12 pm

It’s time to fire up the risographs, dust off the rosettes, and hit the doorsteps.

The sleaze scandal that has engulfed the Tories this week has reminded members up and down the country why Boris Johnson’s Government must be beaten. Politics must be better than this.

And the North Shropshire by-election is a great chance to send them a message they can’t ignore – and help cement the party back on the political map.

There was much speculation in the media yesterday about a possible “unity independent anti-corruption” candidate. On Friday morning, Labour ruled this out – so it’s not an available option.

This constituency is fertile territory for the Lib Dems. Labour may have finished second by default in 2019, but things have changed since then.

Most importantly, we have an enthusiastic and energetic local team who have picked up the baton to take the fight to the Tories. They’re the opposition on Shropshire Council and they deserve our support.

In May we finished second across North Shropshire – winning twice as many votes as Labour or the Greens. We came within a whisker of electing five councillors, with Labour nowhere. A casual glance at the seat’s profile makes clear Labour could never win here.

Posted in News and Op-eds | Also tagged featured and North Shropshire by-election | 4 Comments