FRESH calls for investigations into the UK Prime Minister and senior minister Jacob Rees-Mogg have been launched by Labour as allegations of sleaze continue to follow the Tory government.
Labour has said that new information from US entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri (below) about her relationship with Boris Johnson while he was mayor of London should be investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Johnson avoided a criminal investigation earlier this year into his conduct with the businesswoman after the police watchdog found no evidence he had influenced the payment of thousands of pounds of public money to Arcuri or secured her participation in foreign trade trips he led.
But after the Observer published Arcuri’s diary notes from the time of their alleged dealings, deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner (below) said the IOPC should “look again” at its decision to rule out a formal investigation.
READ MORE: 'Why won't they look?': Top lawyer questions Met's dismissal of SNP ‘cash for honours' complaint
According to the newspaper, one handwritten entry recalls that Johnson asked how he could be the “throttle” in her career while he was in City Hall.
As well as having business links, Arcuri has previously claimed that she and Johnson had a four-year romantic relationship when he was mayor.
Rayner has written to the Greater London Authority’s monitoring officer, Emma Strain, to request that she refer Arcuri’s remarks to the IOPC.
In her letter, she said the reports were “deeply worrying” and “emblematic” of Johnson’s approach to political leadership, which she claimed had “no regard for decency or public interest, only self-interest”.
Boris Johnson's approach to leadership has no regard for decency or the public interest, only self-interest.
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) November 14, 2021
After the new allegations made by Ms Arcuri regarding Boris Johnson's conduct the Independent Office for Police Conduct must look again at their decision and investigate. pic.twitter.com/nZMUzlsFso
Labour also wants Rees-Mogg investigated by Commons standards commissioner Kathryn Stone over claims in the Mail On Sunday that the prominent Tory MP failed to declare director’s loans from his Cayman Islands company Saliston Limited between 2018 and 2020.
Rees-Mogg, the MP for North East Somerset and Leader of the House of Commons, reportedly took loans of £2.94 million in 2018, £2.3m the following year and a further £701,513 in 2019-20.
Shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire said: “This would appear to be yet another egregious breach of the rules.
“A Cabinet minister failing to declare millions of pounds of additional income is unacceptable.”
The SNP's Pete Wishart (below) has said that he will demand Rees-Mogg resign from the government over the Tories' “humiliating retreat” in the Owen Paterson scandal.
Wishart will make the call in a debate in the Commons on Monday when MPs vote on a motion lodged by Rees-Mogg to axe the planned overhaul and back the findings of a cross-party committee into Paterson’s breaches of lobbying rules.
READ MORE: Jacob Rees-Mogg to be told to quit government role over Owen Paterson scandal
Accusations of sleaze have been engulfing the Conservative Party for the last week after Paterson announced he would step down as an MP after he was found to have lobbied on behalf of private companies, and MP Geoffrey Cox's second job working for the British Virgin Islands highlighted the issues of second jobs for members of the Commons.
The SNP also called on the Metropolitan Police to investigate a "cash for honours” culture at the heart of the Tory party after it was revealed that 15 of the last 16 treasurers of the party were offered a peerage after donating more than £3m to the party.
Wishart said the scandal was corruption – “plain and simple”.
However, the Met responded by saying that there was “insufficient information upon which to launch a criminal investigation”.
It's hard to think how you might read a piece like this and think to yourself 'nah, nothing here to investigate'. Surely, you'd at least take a look.
— Jo Maugham (@JolyonMaugham) November 13, 2021
Once again, we are left wondering whether political interference with policing means the Tories are above the law. pic.twitter.com/AWvVsvRjmN
The Met's response was questioned by barrister and director of the Good Law Project, Jolyon Maugham, who said the force’s dismissal seemed “to misunderstand the Met's role”.
He went on: “It's not [Pete Wishart's] job to gather the evidence. He doesn't have power to compel the production of documents and interview witnesses. That's the Met's job.
“So why won't they look?”
Maugham said it was “hard to think” how someone might hear of the news of Tory donations and peerages “and think to yourself 'nah, nothing here to investigate'. Surely, you'd at least take a look”.
“Once again, we are left wondering whether political interference with policing means the Tories are above the law,” he went on.
Responding to Maugham’s comments, Wishart wrote: “Yup. 4 days and barely 100 words and it’s dismissed. No curiosity, ‘nothing to see here’ and ‘go and investigate it yourself’.
“Almost like a green light for Tories with a hankering for ermine with a few million to spare.”
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