Brexit And The Tory Ministers – “no concern for the public interest”

By TruePublica Editor: The dictionary describes the word ‘corruption’ thus: “dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.” Wikipedia describes it as “a form of dishonest or unethical conduct by a person entrusted with a position of authority, often to acquire personal benefit.” Are the ministers involved in this article guilty of blatant corruption whilst the nation (its people) is torn apart by the state (government) and why have they not been arrested for colluding with foreign state powers with sensitive information likely to personally benefit them and disadvantage everyone else.

 

• Three former Cabinet ministers have been exposed by The Sunday Times and Channel 4 for taking money in exchange for information on Brexit negotiations. 

• Andrew Lansley, Peter Lilley, and Andrew Mitchell were all filmed agreeing to help the fake Chinese company Tianfen with gaining access to information about Britain’s negotiations.

• But now it appears that a total of 20 politicians are now currently making money out of Brexit.

 

“To take advantage of this difficult time and confusion to make extra money doesn’t demonstrate a great deal of concern for the public interest,” said Sir Alistair Graham, former chair­man of the committee on standards in public life, after seeing the footage.

 

Business Insider reported that – The Sunday Times was tipped off by sources within Whitehall and the Conservative party that Brexit had triggered a “lobbying frenzy,” as businesses are eager to get information about the negotiations. Undercover reporters then invited a number of former ministers to interviews for a job on the advisory board of Tianfen, a fake Chinese company.

Let us not forget that these sensitive Brexit negotiation details are not being shared with the British public, because if they were a foreign state power would not need insider information in the first place. The description of insider dealing is “the illegal practice of trading on the stock exchange to one’s own advantage through having access to confidential information.” I’m not sure how this description is any different to what is now known about these ministers – are you? It’s still illegal.

 

• Lord Lansley, who served as health secretary under David Cameron, was filmed being offered tens of thousands of pounds. He also said the deal could be kept secret from authorities if he was employed through his wife’s company, Low Europe.

• Peter Lilley, who was the Tory party’s deputy leader between 1998 and 1999, also expressed interest in approaching key ministers for Tianfen.

• Amid claims “MPs were in a frenzy to cash in as Brexit advisers, we found some only too eager to name their price” says The Times.

• And here’s another Times Headline – “Andrew Mitchell: For £80,000, I’ll be at your beck and call even at Christmas”

 

Lord Lansley, the former health secretary, was secretly filmed offering to use his knowledge and connections from within West­minster to provide “intelligence” on Brexit to a Chinese company offering him tens of thousands of pounds.

The peer, who has previously been accused of “ripping the heart” out of a bill to regulate lobby­ing, showed he was willing to pick up information from a key Brexit cabinet minister. He advised how the deal could be kept secret from the authorities by employing him through his wife’s company.

Peter Lilley, the former deputy Conservative Party leader, was also willing to approach key ministers on the Chinese company’s behalf. As part of his pitch for the job he described how he attended two advisory groups with influence over the Brexit minis­ters, one of which has never previously been revealed.

Lilley even revealed his “good relationships” with Fox and David Davis, and said he was happy to have chats with them on behalf of Tianfen.

A third former minister, Andrew Mitchell MP, also appeared happy to give paid Brexit advice to the Chinese company. He charges £6,000 a day and disclosed that he was looking to work up to 10 weeks a year for private clients despite being paid £74,962 as an MP. “My constituents don’t mind what I’m paid,” he said.

 

But then again, if your former boss David Cameron also has his nose at the Brexit trough, who cares right? The Guardian: “David Cameron has taken a job leading a billion-dollar investment initiative agreed between the UK and China. A spokesman for the former prime minister said he was “very proud of his work launching the golden era between the UK and China with President Xi” and his efforts to strengthen bilateral trade and investment while in office.”

 

And whilst one assumes that David Cameron’s new appointment is all above board, it still does not mean that he and his former colleagues can act in such a flagrant and shameless manner as to personally profit from the desperate situation that we find ourselves in as a result of their foolish and ill-advised political gamble that got us into the mess in the first place.

 

 

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