Re: Prigozhin. I’m sure they will be looking for some civil servant fall guy.
It's the kind of thing to get on the record @ PMQ's
DrJ
Full MemberAnmd yet the Beeb continue to cast doubt on his work by introducing him as “Labour supporter”.
Which is an attack line they've been handed by the government, who're going with "Labour activist".
Which is ridiculous, because there's nothing surprising about government misbehavious being discovered by people who don't like that government. Tory activists don't really spend their time looking for tory fraud. But it's like saying a metal detector find doesn't count because the operator is made of meat, not metal.
The other Johnson era scandal still trundling on..
https://twitter.com/glabsandra/status/1617935564476678150?t=WhB6z-sjgD7ptAWdouRt-Q&s=19
Meanwhile, imagine the lols if Sunak has also has had to pay a fine, wonder if that's why he's so reluctant to sack zahawi 🤔
https://twitter.com/peterwalker99/status/1617857154022805506?t=f2VcQAFqHtljsOT_qO-bJg&s=19
This might seem a strange suggestion, but it’s one small answer to the “why is this bubbling up now” question from Dazh… follow Carol Vorderman on Twitter. No, really… one of many people who helped amplify Dan Neidle as his story finally “bubbled up”.
The other Johnson era scandal still trundling on
I’m going to go out on a limb here and bet that we haven’t heard the half of the dodgy dealings that the fly-tipped sofa got up to while in number 10.
There’s surely so much more to slowly leak out, like a rusting storage tank full of toxic waste
Back to Zahawi…
https://twitter.com/marinahyde/status/1617881561650835457?s=46&t=Nme2bqn5VAYDLHw4yi1AEw
One imagines Zahawi was trying to avoid this list https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/publishing-details-of-deliberate-tax-defaulters-pddd/current-list-of-deliberate-tax-defaulters makes for interesting reading. Some BIG sums, but none as big as his (as reported).
I suspect it was only his position in the government, and more particularly his job title briefly last year which put him in a position to negotiate it down to a mere penalty.
The burden of proof required for HMRC to win at a Tribunal and have penalties assessed as "Deliberate" is much higher than that required for "Careless" - no one seems to be able to explain why, it's a civil matter. I suspect that the conversation went "30% for careless, unless you want this to go to a public tribunal where we'll try for deliberate".
I expected Sunak to have a basic competence ( yes Ernie - based on not a lot) but he really hasn't shown it at all. I think part of it is down to his limited room for maneuver trying to balance all the demands from the various factions and a part of it is he is a poor politician. But I did expect managerial competence which would mean things like sack Zahawi and any CEO would do to a CEO caught lying and fiddling the books!
I think that Rishi Sunak probably operates very competently and effectively in situations which he is familiar with, after all he did become party leader and his resignation as Chancellor was the body blow which resulted in Johnson's resignation paving the way for Sunak's eventual ascendancy.
However as I suggested earlier the arrogance and entitlement which will have been instrumental in both his upbringing and his pre-politics career imo seriously hampers his ability to make sound judgements as Prime Minister.
His world is simply too detached from the wider world so he doesn't get it.
He’s probably wondering why everyone is making so much fuss over a trifling little £5 million?
Loose change in Rishi’s world
Will zahawi make it to PMQs?
or will sunak try & cling on because he doesnt want to set the precedent for firing people when he/his wife may be guilty of the same thing?
He should ask Zahawi if he can commission YouGov to carry out a poll to help decide his fate.
Starmer will be spoiled for choice on what three Zahawi scandals to ask a question about at lunchtime! 😆
There’s surely so much more to slowly leak out, like a rusting storage tank full of toxic waste
Which is why I think it's unlikely that he'll make a comeback. Sunak's camp will ensure everything comes out in the mother of all smear campaigns. It's going to be fun to watch the Sunak vs Johnson civil war over the next 6 months, and it will completely destroy the tories. I'm even beginning to think that we could see a new right wing party after the next election.
I’m even beginning to think that we could see a new right wing party after the next election.
We have that in Starmers labour party. 🙂
*lights blue touchpaper and runs away*
Yeah I would have thought that the UK is spoilt for choice when it comes to right-wing parties.
I can't imagine anyone thinking that there isn't a right-wing party which represents their views.
The burden of proof required for HMRC to win at a Tribunal and have penalties assessed as “Deliberate” is much higher than that required for “Careless” – no one seems to be able to explain why, it’s a civil matter. I suspect that the conversation went “30% for careless, unless you want this to go to a public tribunal where we’ll try for deliberate”.
I'm sure that describes the approach you'd expect them to take, but I'm not convinced that the negotiations are quite so weighted in their favour when they are dealing with a senior member of the government, let alone the chancellor of the exchequer. The implications of taking someone like that to tribunal or even the criminal courts would be fully understood by HMRC top brass.
Yeah I would have thought that the UK is spoilt for choice when it comes to right-wing parties.
If the tories are wiped out Canada style the nutters could well jump ship to a new 'vote leave' party (as Cummings calls it), leaving the tories as a rump centre-right party with a few dozen MPs a la the liberal democrats.
I don't know why you think it would be the "nutters" who might jump ship. If they are discontented they don't need to form a new party they have Reform UK.
Since Reform UK are unlikely to win one single seat at the next general election it is unlikely to attract many disgruntled right-wing Tories. And forming another duplicate party is unlikely to prove any more successful.
Those most likely to be disillusioned and reconsidering their Tory Party membership in the light of electoral meltdown imo are likely to be attracted to either the Labour Party or LibDems. Or leave politics altogether.
Forming a new party would in all likelihood have the same disastrous consequences as the creation of Change UK had - political oblivion.
Agreed.
The implications of taking someone like that to tribunal or even the criminal courts would be fully understood by HMRC top brass.
He has a lot more at risk than HMRC in those circumstances.
Asked repeatedly about Zahawi’s tax dodging at PMQ’s, his answer was…
Jeremy Corbyn
Starmer should insert a clause into his questions requiring Sunak to answer without using the terms 'Corbyn', 'Union Paymasters', or 'he would still have us in lockdown'.
The Raaaaaab inquiry is looking promising as well
Dominic Raab is facing a much broader bullying investigation than originally anticipated with at least 24 civil servants involved in formal complaints against him, the Guardian understands.
So the Russian connection has made the news
BBC News - Yevgeny Prigozhin: UK reviews rules after Wagner head sued journalist
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64400057
Can't see it on website, but was sure 5Live reported earlier that No10 had confirmed Sunak has not had to pay any penalties for HMRC
It's third item on bbc website.
Will be interesting to see if it features on any of evening news, newsnight or peston.
Meanwhile: Just the 24 formal compliants against Patrick Bateman for bullying
Quite surprising as he comes across as such a nice bloke. Priti Patel needs to seriously up her game
Are there any government ministers who aren’t presently under investigation for something dodgy
Asked repeatedly about Zahawi’s tax dodging at PMQ’s, his answer was…
Jeremy Corbyn
Everytime that happens Starmer should mention Liz Truss.
Everytime that happens Starmer should mention Liz Truss.
He wasnt in her cabinet.
Johnson on the other hand.
Looks like the lies are unravelling fast
Who would have ever thought Sunak's poll ratings would challenge Truss's for the smallest number of tory seats following the next election? (yes I know the methodology is flawed and they'll get more but it's still fun to imagine!)
https://twitter.com/LeftieStats/status/1618366632614821888?s=20&t=7UzsCvScT-o1r99BIdHqfg
That would be hilarious and also a real challenge for the SNP as it would mean they would be the official opposition but in theory at least disinterested in England only issues. Pretty irrelevant tho with such a huge labour majority.
Instead like on manchester council in the 80s and Glasgow council up to the change in voting systems the only real debate would be between factions in the labour party
Once this sort of voting intention collapse actually happens under FPTP there is no real way back
Carol Vorderman laying it out on The Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2 right now!
TBH I'm not sure that sort of majority for labour is very healthy. I know Ernie has hopes/fantasies that the left would have much more power to influence policy with an unchallengable majority, but from what I've seen Labour have never come out well when they hold total power.
The Manchester example is a good one. Labour's iron grip on power there has done very little for working people and hugely benefited rich property developers and other commercial interests. Scale that up to national level and I can only imagine the dodgy dealing that would go on.
Carol Vorderman laying it out on The Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2 right now!
Had to make sure I'd read that correctly. Ugh!
To add to TJ's post....HMRC being helpful too 🙂
The PeoplePolling poll always puts Tory support at a ridiculously low levels - the last 3 PeoplePolling polls have put Tory support at exactly 21%.
Last month they put Tory support at 19%, no other pollster as far as I am aware has ever put the Tories on such a low level of support.
The PeoplePolling polls also tend to be quite generous in the claimed support for Reform UK.
PeoplePolling are commissioned by GB News of which Nigel Farage is a leading commentor, apparently - I've never watched it. Could that in any way be relevant?
The Manchester example is a good one.
I would have thought that Manchester is an appallingly bad example. Isn't the problem with Manchester that Labour are totally complacent precisely because they know that there will always be in power?
Whatever happens in Manchester that will will never ever happen in Westminster. I fully expect support for Labour to plummet after the next general election, even if they have a 350 seat majority.
It certainly won't signal decades of Labour rule!
Once this sort of voting intention collapse actually happens under FPTP there is no real way back
It would be interesting though with a mandate like that, because electoral reform is on the ticket this time.
because electoral reform is on the ticket this time.
It was in 97, including a pledge for a PR referendum, but mostly got dropped except the half hearted Lords reform.
Jack Straw gets mentioned a lot with regards to undermining it.
because electoral reform is on the ticket this time.
Possible reform of the lords. PR ruled out by Starmer. No change to Westminster or councils
PR ruled out by Starmer.
PR has massive support within the Labour Movement - in both the Party and the Trade Unions, Starmer is understandably opposed to it because it makes the possibility of a rival left-wing party much more likely. However if Labour has a massive majority after the next general election expectations will be extraordinarily high, Starmer would really struggle IMO to keep the lid on demands for electoral reform.
Ultimately I guess it depends on how much power one man has over the Labour Party.
Personally I fail to understand how it seems to be considered acceptable for just one man to decide the policies of the next UK government.
