MILLIONAIRE public school boy and ex-Tory Prime Minister David Cameron secretly lobbied billionaire Chancellor Rishi Sunak on behalf of the now-defunct Greensill capital, also run by a millionaire. Cameron was seeking to get money for Greensill from a Bank of England-run scheme. Sunak said in the texts that he would call Cameron to discuss the matter. If this occurred without officials being present to witness the call, then this is a breach of the ministerial code.
Separately it has been revealed that the sister of Tory Health Secretary Matt Hancock owns a company that’s been awarded government health contracts. Hancock bought a stake in this company, so he is personally profiting.
READ MORE: MPs question UK Government on lobbying scandal as Rishi Sunak is nowhere to be seen
Last year an investigation by the New York Times revealed that billions of pounds in Covid-19 related public contracts were given to firms with links to the Tory party. These firms had no experience of delivering PPE.
Boris Johnson himself has been tainted by sleaze. His ex-lover Jennifer Arcuri went along with him on three taxpayer-funded trips when he was London mayor.
The Tory “solution” to all this sleaze and greed is to have an “inquiry” run by the son of a Tory Lord. The consequences for the Tories in England are negligible; the latest opinion poll gives them a 14-point lead over “Sir” Keir Starmer.
This demonstrates the futility of the argument by Labour and LibDem Unionists about “federalism” – or as the Stalinist Unionists like to call it, “radical federalism”. They will never be in a position to deliver this. The UK is now an elected Tory dictatorship.
The first priority of the new administration at Holyrood is to put together a plan and a timetable for an independence referendum. This must reject any repulsive notion of asking for “permission” from the Tories.
Alan Hinrrichs
Dundee
LIKE Robin MacLean (Letters, April 17) I am a Highlands & Islands voter and I too received a number of leaflets in the post relating to the forthcoming election. One of them was from Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservative party, and “put the boot into Scotland” Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservative MSP group. What surprised me, given the tirade of anti-Scottish rhetoric, was that they did not claim to be Unionists.
It is worth remembering that a few months ago Ruth Davidson was claiming to be a contender for the position of Scotland’s First Minister but has on reflection decided, rather than being humiliated by the voters, to take a seat in the House of Lords.
READ MORE: As the UK breaks down even further, prepare for 'hyper-Unionism'
Perhaps the Scottish Conservative party should inform the voters as to whether or not they consider themselves still to be Unionists!
They should then publish the Westminster policies that, should hell freeze over and they win a democratic majority in the Scottish Parliament, they would impose on the people of Scotland.
May I suggest that they could include those well-known right-wing policies beloved by the Unionists in Scotland, eg privatise the Scottish National Health Service, reintroduce charges for medical prescriptions, introduce tuition fees in our universities and colleges, and blind support for Brexit! I have no doubt that under Boris Johnson’s leadership Scotland would be chaos in no time!
We live in a democracy which is under constant threat from Westminster, but if the people of Scotland do not assert themselves at the ballot box then the outlook could be dire.
Thomas L Inglis
Fintry
I HAVE just received a letter from the Conservative party in which they assure me that if the SNP gains a majority in the upcoming Scottish Parliamentary elections there will be a second independence referendum. I trust the UK Government will stand by this commitment given in their name.
The letter recommends that I do not “experiment with new, untested parties”, so I will duly cast both of my votes in the Highland region for the SNP, safe in the knowledge that if I help them to a parliamentary majority the Conservative party will deliver the promised referendum.
My belief in democracy is restored!
Cameron Crawford
Rothesay
DURING the pandemic people have rediscovered the simple act of walking – the oldest, cheapest and greenest transport there is. It has allowed us to stay healthy, happy and connected to those around us.
But lots of us still struggle with narrow, cluttered, uneven pavements; crossings that prioritise cars rather than people; and growing numbers of speeding vehicles.
That’s why I support Living Streets’ Manifesto for Walking, which calls for candidates in our upcoming election to pledge to end pedestrian deaths and injuries on roads, tackle air pollution, make school streets safe and make walking easier by cutting the clutter on our pavements.
It is time we redesigned our streets around people, not cars. That way we can all continue to enjoy the benefits of walking and healthier, happier communities.
Fiona McOwan
via email
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