A taxpayer-funded lobby group is a breach of government rules – but only an INDEPENDENT inquiry will prove that
Chummy: Brexiters Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
This Site has reported on this story before.
The funding of a lobby group with taxpayers’ money is a clear conflict of interest, no matter what the Tory government says.
But it’ll take an independent inquiry to establish that.
A number of Cabinet members appear to have breached the rules of government through their membership of a secretive hard-Brexit lobby group, now chaired by the outspoken government critic Jacob-Rees Mogg.
Senior Conservative ministers including Sajid Javid, Andrea Leadsom, Penny Mordaunt and David Gauke have used taxpayers’ cash to fund the hard-Brexit European Research Group (ERG), which is now led by Rees-Mogg MP, who has been accused in recent days of trying to undermine Prime Minister Theresa May and oust her Chancellor, Philip Hammond.
The ministers have funded this lobby group (through their expense claims) whilst holding posts in government – despite the ministerial code prohibiting ministers from becoming “associated with non-public organisations whose objectives may in any degree conflict with government policy”.
New evidence shows that a number of other key figures in government – including Brexit ministers Steve Baker and Suella Fernandes – have remained active in the ERG after taking on government posts, and that the senior whip Chris Heaton-Harris has hosted meetings for them inside parliament.
A government spokesperson has denied that there has been any breach of the rules. But a number of Labour and SNP MPs have now called on the parliamentary authorities to “urgently investigate” the matter, with former Foreign office minister Chris Bryant calling it a “clear conflict of interest”; Caroline Lucas labelling the findings “deeply concerning” and the SNP’s Deirdre Brock asking, “What kind of shameless opportunist would be supporting their colleagues in public while betraying them in private?”
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More stinking rotten right-wing corruption.
yes = thats the tories = rotten right through
The Cameron goverments use of tax payers money to send out pro eu propaganda on top of the monies allowed for both sides in campaigning should be investigated as that was illegal, and Cameron should be prosecuted.