[Closed] Another day, another MP suspended

I wonder if she was busted when little Jimmy handed his homework:

WHAT I DID ON MY HOLIDAYS

we went to Israle and we Met mr netinyahoo and he was quite nice. Then we met the man with the army and he had lots of biscuits and mummy said don't tell Borris

the end

Patel has been caught telling blatant lies and her excuse about a "lack of precision in my wording" is utter bobbins. Hope she can provide receipts for her holiday as it will be interesting to see who paid for the trip. Don't expect any further action against her as it was a visit to Israel - would have been different if it had been any other country.

Plenty of questions for Patel

did Lord Polak arrange her 12 meetings, including with Netanyahu for her before or after she booked her holidays?

Did he also book his holidays to coincide with hers before or after arranging them?

Shes got receipts to show she paid for this all herself, right?
(shes not that stupid, she knew what she was doing was against the rules, hence why she has repeatedly lied about the nature, number & when she notifiied Joghnsons & the FO)

Depends how marginal the seats are really.

Good point! I'd love to know. The Tories doesn't seem to be any more popular now than June 8th, and possibly even less so, and Labour are definitely benefitting from not being in government right now and therefore not having to take the blame for all the general bun-fightery that's going on so it could be quite interesting times!!

SO Johnsons accidently gets a political prisoners sentence doubled

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41890885

wtf?

Kimbers - the sentence has not been revised, yet.
Shermer - they will be independents until suspension lifted or they are expelled; guaranteed that they will be totally compliant with party wishes while suspended - and afterwards, if suspension lifted.

Had a look through the list, and it looks like the most likely seat to change is held by Tory MP Steven Crabb, with a slim majority of 314, although he hasn't been suspended. Tory MP Charlie Elphicke has been suspended pending a police investigation but has a majority of 6,437 (which I'm guessing is fairly comfortable?)

On the Labour side is Jared O’Mara, with a majority of 2,125. He is also suspended, and if he goes there's a good chance it'll go back to the Lib Dems (it's Nick Clegg's old seat)

All the others have a comfortable majority (6,000+). There may well be more to come though!!

Thanks Frank! Good point!

Although Charlie Elphicke (Tory) is facing a police investigation, so that might be a by-election

By-elections usually have lower turnouts, would it be a case of voter fatigue too?

bigger swings might not be surprising, last election saw several safe seats become marginal

Quite, Labour lost a previously safe seat, right? In Cumbria?

Yep, Copeland- held on to it in the General Election, too

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copeland_(UK_Parliament_constituency)

So May only became aware on Friday that Patel met Netanyahu 3 months ago.

In not sure what percentage of this is underhandedness of Patel, incompetence of Johnson or just shambolic leadership from May.

@MichaelLCrick
Senior Conservative MP: "Boris is an f****** disgrace & if he had an ounce of integrity - which he doesn't - he'd have walked immediately."
11:36 AM - 7 Nov 2017

1 by-election confirmed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-41904161

no idea what the allegations against him were or if true

im sure lots of speculation to follow, either way sad for his family

Good thread on why Patel should be sacked & how extraordinary she hasn't been already

https://twitter.com/nicktolhurst/status/927856249269620736

As someone who used to work for FCO a thread on why ppl need to understand that Priti Patels "mistake" far far worse than Boris' "gaffe" /1

after coughing-gate, and the Lee Nelson / P45 incident May was 'one more gaffe' away from being out.

Since then we've had gropey ministers, Patel's foreign holiday and king-of-gaffe's intervention.

How many more is 'one more' exactly?

When has May not been in a crisis (of her own making) in the last 12 months ?

kimbers - Member
When has May not been in a crisis (of her own making) in the last 12 months ?

Probably buried under all the Brexit studies.

Oh look, there's a royal baby... 🙂

Oh look, there's a royal baby... [/quote

Does it have a (perfectly legal) offshore trust fund yet?

If the government collapsed can we call off Brexit?
Combine with Trump impeachment and all us snowflakes can move on from our 2016/17 existential crisis

 

1 by-election confirmed

For the Welsh Assembly

Oohh and No 10 admitted that Theresa May only found out about Patel wanting to funnel aid cash to the Israeli army..... From the BBC news, today

For the Welsh Assembly

Priorities.

Patel to be sacked tonight apparently.

Now, about Johnson

Now, about Johnson

Apparently being a complete piece of work is not enough to get sacked as a minister these days.

Now, about Johnson

Times saying 2 more undisclosed meetings from Patel, telegraph saying she moved to earlier flight to avoid making commons statement
+ Tory MPs have 40 signatures reqd to oust May

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/when-will-the-game-finally-be-up-for-blundering-boris-johnson-t5qz8lwhr

Yep Patel held 2 more meetings with Israeli ministers without informing FO

Was she really running her own foreign policy, courting money for leadership bid?

Good job she's dealing with a close ally that would never plot to take down UK ministers. ..
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/08/israeli-diplomat-shai-masot-plotted-against-mps-set-up-political-groups-labour

Also did anyone see newsnight? bonkers Nadine Zahawi claiming that Patel & Johnson scandal all the fault of Labour Remoaners 😆

https://twitter.com/BBCNewsnight/status/928039079186280448

I got all excited when a friend posted on FB 1/2hr ago the BloJo had gone... sadly that’s not the case..

Yet.

Patel's behaviour is so outrageous that it beggars belief. But I expect that some form of leadership challenge, even if it's not from her, will come sooner rather than later. If Boris decides to walk, then we can expect it before Christmas.

Patel's behaviour is so outrageous that it beggars belief.

Even with May's obvious lack of leadership skills and weak position Can't believe that

A/ Patel thought she'd get away with it

B/ that it's taken this long and she's still not been fired

There's so much movement and indecision in the political groups its no wonder we are in the mess we are. We have no substantial leadership and even the monarchy is dabbling in tax avoidance.

The head has literally fallen off the Lion, and the ones suffering are the everyday people and business who are doing their best to survive in the uncertainty of direction and leadership.

What we need is someone to step up and lead for the benefit of the country and the people that we can believe in, with no moral or political desire other than our mutual success. But where the hell would you find a person like that - certainly not in any of the current political parties.

Will Patel be sacked from her position in the Israeli government too?

😆

Ahh, its all just a hilarious bouncy castle innit.

I'll be surprised if Patel gets more than a slap on the wrist. She's highly influential in the European Research Group as a rabid Brexiteer. Currently, they ERG seems to hold the leadership by the short and curlies, with about eighty MPs on the right of the party who collectively have enough signatures to undersign a letter to the 1922 Committee to trigger a leadership challenge.

I'm not saying that Patel won't be fired, but I'll be surprised if she is. I'd be the first to celebrate not seeing her smirking face in the cabinet anymore.

JC (not that JC, jewish chronicle)

reporting that May did know about some of Patels meetings & No10 was lying when it said it didnt

https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/no-10-knew-about-priti-patel-israel-meetings-1.447605

cant decide if this belongs in the should TM resign thread?

Meanwhile Johnson is in Washington for talks about the Iran nuclear deal/ sanctions, thats bound to go well !

BJ and PP are very lucky that Fallon went at the weekend. Binning another or even two more cabinet ministers would surely make Mays government even more of a joke. It may be the only thing saving them. They’ll be hoping another colleague comes along with another episode of incompetence.
I’d like to think we deserve better but I’m not sure we do

Kryton57 - Member

The head has literally fallen off the Lion, and the ones suffering are the everyday people and business who are doing their best to survive in the uncertainty of direction and leadership.

Agreed. In any reasonable world BJ and PP should be gone, but we are in such a cluster fiddlesticks of a situation, I'm not sure. Somehow the tories need to rapidly assert themselves and show some cohesion or brexit will have no chance of a positive outcome

Posted previously it this sure as hell feels like good old Major and his back to basics moment, where is Mellor is his chelski shirt?

Ferrals - i can't see any possibility of a positive outcome on Brexit.

Brexit was never about a positive outcome. It was about the hard-right of the party inflicting major shocks to the economy in the name of the "will of the people" as the ultimate get out of jail free card, with a view to restructuring the economy and the associated pain, but without shouldering any of the blame for the inevitable pain.

They also want to hack and slash the EU employment protection policies too. They know that it's going to be unpopular and that there is no long-term viability of a maintaining a stranglehold of the hard-right on the Conservative Party.

I hope that everyone here remembers this before putting an X on their ballot papers in future.

Given the Jewish Chronicle story (which seems reasonably sourced), I now cannot work out who exactly is stitching up who. So we just make the assumption that all of them are trying to do it.

So Priti Patel is sanctioned by May to chat to various Israelis, but told not to tell the FCO (and Johnson) about the extent of it? But is now chucked under the bus when it becomes clear she has 'overstepped the mark' and gone touring around military hospitals in breach of usual protocol?

So was May using Patel to bypass Boris in Israeli comms (because he's a buffoon)? But too scared of Boris to admit her involvement once the lack of FCO advice caused a major cock-up?

Confusing! But symptomatic of the day-to-day mayhem of this government.

Now that disgraced former international development secretary Patel has flown back to face the music, she's left Disgraced Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox on his own setting up trade deals in Uganda, a country that ranks in worst 10 % on corruption index, with his reputation, what could possibly go wrong? https://t.co/7nQPrS7yiF

[img] [/img]

The least worst outcome of all this is a general election in the new year and a change of government. There's open warfare in the governing party, which will consign them to opposition for a very long time. The intrinsic loyalty of Conservative MPs to their various factions overrules any obligation to party and country (in that order).

Meanwhile, Labour are sitting back, munching the popcorn and watching a party which spent millions of pounds of donor's money over thirteen years as it underwent a detoxification project that has would appear to have spectacularly failed, as the party haemorrhages cash and party members. They cannot recruit enough activists to fight an election on the ground.

[img] [/img]
Something tells me they have run out of red shirts

The least worst outcome of all this is a general election in the new year and a change of government.

At the precise moment when almost the entire focus of the government should be on the pivotal moments of the Brexit negotation.

Labour will not want to come in to carry the can at that moment, unless the polls suggest they could perform well on a 'scrap Brexit' platform, which I doubt will be the case.

Labour will not want to come in to carry the can at that moment, unless the polls suggest they could perform well on a 'scrap Brexit' platform, which I doubt will be the case.

Labour will not want to come in to carry the can at that moment, unless the polls suggest they could perform well on a 'scrap Brexit' platform, which I doubt will be the case.

70% of Labour supporters are Remainers (*waves*), Keir Starmer certainly seems to be the only grown up in the Brexit playground, but I agree that the party would prefer to let the Conservatives self-immolate over Brexit before they alienate party members in the ex-industrialised areas of the UK who are rabidly pro-Brexit.

Perhaps the best way forward is for those assessments of the social and economic impact of Brexit to be released, unredacted with the names of the Tory Brexiteers who commissioned them on the cover.

I think a call it off idea might float.

Only in an unflushable sense. It would win them plenty of votes in unwinnable seats (such as mine), and lose them even more in their core constituencies.

It really hasn't sunk into the Labour heartlands what an absolute shitshow the whole thing is going to be - there is still clamour for politicians to just get on with it.

given the way the papers have been covering the disaster so far

Not really sensing an anti-brexit swing in the Sun, Mail and Express as yet...

Not really sensing an anti-brexit swing in the Sun, Mail and Express as yet...

frankconway - Member

Ferrals - i can't see any possibility of a positive outcome on Brexit.

nor me, i should have said least disasterous!

If we have a GE in the new year I imagine Brexit will pretty much be derailled anyway, or at least, it wont be feasible on the currnet timetable. If not feasible on the programmed timetable what option is there but to reverse the decision?

anyway funny conversation with my mother this week back in the UK, they are coming over to visit and terrified that the nasty JC will make universities free like they were when I was there....
Asked about the exchange rate and I said it depends who's government collapses first, never thought I'd say that
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-08/coalition-members-ponder-early-election/9128122?section=politics

Not really sensing an anti-brexit swing in the Sun, Mail and Express as yet...

The Express is for sale, likely to be bought by the Trinity Mirror Group. One suspects that the editorial stance might shift, if only to reduce the number of headlines about apocalyptic weather (the paper is run by a climate change sceptic!) and bloody Diana (RIP).

The Mail appears to be on the verge of red-faced spontaneous combustion at any moment, bizarrely the Sunday Heil is pro-remain.

Nahid Zahawi claiming that Johnson & Patel crisis as Brexit big beasts are just plots by labour remoaners, ironically says much more about the competence & intelligence of these Brexiters!

Winner of the public might agree with that

Right now no-one wants to be holding this parcel when the music stops, because they'll realise what a dog turd of a prize it is. A half decent opposition would have murdered them by now.

I suspect Labour are happy for the whole shiteshow to unravel after which they can get back into power and do almost whatever they like for 2/3 terms because there will in essence be no opposition once people realise what a shower of ****s the tories are.

The only thing preventing them from managing this so far is that May and co are so inept, they'll probably push themselves out even without any assistance.

I could well see a GE in the spring with the specific intent being that no-one actually wants to win it, because the best strategy is to make someone else deal with it and then take over once the place is in ruins.

. Not really sensing an anti-brexit swing in the Sun, Mail and Express as yet...

I could well see a GE in the spring with the specific intent being that no-one actually wants to win it, because the best strategy is to make someone else deal with it and then take over once the place is in ruins.

There may even be some cross-bench nodding and winking from the grown-up backbenchers to keep the government from collapsing until exactly that moment, providing the perfect excuse to kick Brexit into the long grass.

But this is surprising for the telegraph.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/07/exclusive-poll-shows-public-have-lost-faith-theresa-mays-handling/

I still see this as more an attempt to install [s]Big Sam[/s] Boris to save us from relegation.

God. That's it. We're Sunderland. 🙁

Just to return to the thread subject - Mark Garnier's name appears to have dropped off the radar.
In any other organisation what would have happened to a senior employee who referred to his assistant as 'sugar tits' and then pushed said assistant into buying items from Dick's dildos or Vicky's vibros using his money (did she get receipts and did he claim on expenses?) while he waited outside?
Either dismissed or on first and final warning.
TM is incapable of providing political leadership; she also appears to be incapable of providing moral leadership - vicar's daughter and regular churchgoer.
What would happen to her reputation if she dismissed Johnson & Green - Patel is/should be a formality - with a clear statement that she is 'clearing out the stables'.
Her problem then would then be replacing them - Williamson's elevation is a clear example of what not to do.
Johnson is a busted political flush - proved to be incapable, liar, self-serving narcissist - with dwindling support in the party and at large.
Show some backbone woman - you might even earn some respect.

The Tories only hope is to offer N. Ireland and Scotland independence now.

That removes a large % of the disaffected and people who spend their time actively trying to dismantle the British state.

The resultant flap from the rest of the country will divert attention away from the current mess, and also gives an excuse to delay Brexit while the details were hammered out.

Or maybe another royal baby will do the job...

Or a funeral.

https://www.flightradar24.com/KQA100/f76cdcf

Priti's somewhere over Belgium apparently

I wonder if she's waiting until they're over the North Sea before flushing any incriminating papers down the toilet?

they're only crossing the channel, she'd need substantially more than 20 miles of airtime to cover that lot up.

if shes not on the plane could be amusing

has she gone on the lam in uganda?

That would be controversial, her parents are Gujarati Indians who were ejected from Uganda during the Idi Amin years.

I'm beginning to wonder whether a tenner on Esther McVey for PM might be worth a punt....

Mini-Preston suspended from Labour Party and no longer working as Corbyn’s aide preparing him for PMQ’s

Patel - International Development Sectetary meeting foreign politicians whatever next ? She may go of course but far more troublesome to PM as a pro-Brexit campaigner on the back benches - that could even save her bacon 🙂

Worth noting many Indians are big supporters of Israel, thry had big pro-Israel rallies diring the last Gaza conflict. Having neighours intent on your destruction is a common uniting purpose

Patel - International Developmeny Sectetary meeting foreign politicians whatever next ?

Come on, you can do better than that.

Did you not notice the bit about completely disobeying the ministerial code, lying about when colleagues were informed, lying about the number and scope of the meetings, having no FCO officials there to advise and report, but mysteriously having the Conservative Friends of Israel Exec there instead.....

I suspect these 'irregularities' are way more than irregularities, something is being covered up here. Quack quack.

I'm also intrigued by some commentator's claims that May WAS informed about the 13th and 14th meetings but it was decided they'd hush them up, issue/take a slap on the wrists and now they've come to light, calling PP back from Africa to answer to them.

Sheer gross incompetence on May running her team, coupled to (IMHO) something going on among her colleagues again. You couldn't be this shit by chance, there has to be some design.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/priti-patel-latest-update-theresa-may-sacked-secret-israel-meeting-fired-not-declare-new-york-a8043556.html

There's a correct way to meet with foreign dignitaries and an incorrect way, also there is correct protocol for informing the PM and an incorrect protocol. Serving ministers must be accompanied and sanctioned when meeting with foreign politicians, these are basic Foreign Office rules.

In both instances, Priti Patel was a tad cavalier. She's in breech of protocol and therefore is going to be subject to a disciplinary.

As for mini-Prescott, he's suspended pending an investigation. That's quite different, in that he hasn't been found to be culpable yet.

Patel - International Development Sectetary meeting foreign politicians whatever next ?

Haha did you miss the bit where she hid it all from the PM then lied multiple times to cover it up ? (as well as breaking numerous rules)

Her motorcade being followed by press helicopter back to downing Street.

This whole farcical circus could've been avoided if she'd just told the truth and failing that May sacked her days ago.

Another stunning own goal from the Tories

Patel has been dishonest from the start. It's no wonder Jamba can't see any problem with that.

Patel - International Development Sectetary meeting foreign politicians whatever next ?

That's my take on it. Seems far more likely that she was discussing something to to with her job rather than some kind of pantomime malicious plot.

She'll probably have to resign, which is fair enough, but I can't get excited about it, personally.

Rich_s - Member
I'm beginning to wonder whether a tenner on Esther McVey for PM might be worth a punt....

I’m wondering if my £100 I put on
[img] ?region=0,0,600,600&width=320[/img]
Might get the PMs job..

As for Patel, well well.... another down the
[img] [/img]
That is the [s]Tory[/s] nasty party.

That's my take on it.

Mine too, if I ignore all the reasons why she screwed up.

outofbreath - Member
Patel - International Development Sectetary meeting foreign politicians whatever next ?
That's my take on

sigh ill post this again...

according to ex-FO staff

As someone who used to work for FCO a thread on why ppl need to understand that Priti Patels "mistake" far far worse than Boris' "gaffe" /1

2/ Boris gaffe was stupid but affects just one family & hopefully won't have repercussions & can be remedied. (Why he is FM another matter)

3/ but to Pritii Patel: firstly she committed a deliberate act that wld have seen any FCOstaff instantly sacked. But it's worse than that...

4/ to undertake planned secret meeting in foreign country outside of FCO required use of own communication-a clear security risk

5/ such a visit instantly opens up minister to blackmail not just because of her secret behavior but because she cld not use UK secutity....

6/ all FCO visits depend on securing/sweeping. As a individual Patel cld not do. this she was thus vulnerable to pressure/blackmail

7/ from reports we know that Israeli security reps present. Patel was this going in unprotected in talks with a separate state. It's not....

8/ no exaggeration to say such behavior is normally classed as close to spy/becoming a foreign asset for Patel to not be removed thus.....

9/ opens up view that such behavior ok/tolerated. If so UKas serious reliable power collapses, can every minister operate own ForeignPolicy?

10/ if so this will encourage all sorts of states to replicate such policy & so to end I return to the start....

11/ such behavior by FCOstaff is classed for above reasons similarly to spying-so instant dismissal. If Patel not sacked UK foreign policy..

12/...essentially says it can be brought individually minister by minister & we're totally ok with that. /ends (sorry for wordy thread!)

all of that said, SHE ALSO LIED ABOUT IT (more than once) TO THE PM & THE PUBLIC

which is why shes getting fired,

if shed have admitted it all straight away shed be watching Johnson fk up his career with the rest of us
instead shes at the centre of a media circus entirely of her own making

@kimbers

As I say, I can't get excited about it.

I doubt there was any malicious motive. It's doesn't seem like spying to me. Slippery slope arguments usually leave me cold.

That leaves lying. Well I'm kind of used to politicians lying, but given there's no direct quotes of the lies she told it's very hard for me to judge if she has lied so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

I don't have a problem with her resigning, but it's not exactly Suez, is it?

I doubt there was any malicious motive. It's doesn't seem like spying to me. Slippery slope arguments usually leave me cold.

Doesn't have to be spying. IDK if it was malicious or not (and if so malicious to who) or just massively incompetent, but either way it's absolutely shit and she will go as a result.

I'm normally the first to suggest Hanlon's razor, but in this case it's so incompetent I can't help but wonder if this is the exception that proves the rule.

but given there's no direct quotes of the lies she told it's very hard for me to judge if she has lied so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

here ya go OOB

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

(some of that has also since turned out to be untrue as she forgot to mention 2 further meetings, one of which her department had offically declined )

hardly suez, indeed (tho depends what she was discussing- unminuted so we'll never know)

just death by 1000s cuts from a government bent on self destruction

Of course its mana from heaven from the conspiracy theorists, Im sure Breitbart talkbacks etc will be rampant with 'evil jeweish plot to rule the world' nutjobs.

That leaves lying. Well I'm kind of used to politicians lying, but given there's no direct quotes of the lies she told it's very hard for me to judge if she has lied so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

Not so. The interview she gave is full.of lies for a start. She acted in breach of the ministerial code and in contravention of eg UK policy on the Gollan Heights. It's not as if it's a nice peaceful area where the wrong words are forgiven.