Mrs Peter Law alleges a very senior Labour figure offered her husband a Peerage as a quid pro quo for standing aside in Blaenau Gwent. She should now come clean and name him. Surely, though, there can be few people on the shortlist. Whoever it is has brought the whole process further into disrepute. An anonymous denmail from a Welsh Labour Party official isn't good enough. As Welsh Secretary, Peter Hain should now go on the record and issue a firm, on the record denial - otherwise people will go on being suspicious. Just a reminder that such an offer would be illegal under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925, which says: "If any person accepts, obtains or agrees to accept or obtain from any person, for himself or for any other person, or for any purpose, any gift, money or valuable consideration as an inducement or reward for procuring or assisting or endeavouring to procure the grant of a dignity or title of honour to any person or otherwise in connection with such a grant, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanour."It's undeniable that this is a valuable consideration. Thus, if true, the senior Labour politician - whoever it is - is liable to be prosecuted. I'm sure Inspector John Yates will be adding this to his growing workload.
Think you're off beam with your supposed target Iain... if I were you I'd change the pic sharpish.
ReplyDeleteWhy, Inamicus?
ReplyDeleteIt makes Hain look like one of the dodgier members of Ian Smith's Rhodesian cabinet back in the 70's. Or maybe the BSAP Special Branch.
They all seemed to sport pork pie hats, though their choice of suit tended more towards the crymplene safari variety than Hain's.
RM
I've always understood that this is the sort of thing peerages were given for. If we are going to keep an appointed Lords what criteria are supposed to be used. We are getting to the stage where agreeing to acccept a party whip would be a consideration.
ReplyDeleteI could go for a fully electd chamber (possibly on a longer term or in some other way not merely being a duplicte commons) or i could go with them being handed out like Nobels. However we are going to have to make a decision as to what we want.