As if any more information was needed that Theresa May lied to the House of Commons – a resignation offence – when she claimed there was no ‘sweetheart deal’ with Surrey County Council to persuade one of the richest councils in England to cancel a planned referendum on a huge council tax rise, the proverbial ‘smoking gun’ has now come to light.
Mrs May accused Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of making up ‘alternative facts’ about Surrey during PMQs (Prime Minister’s questions), stating that she had ‘destroyed’ his claims, in spite of the clear evidence of leaked text messages. By doing so, she committed the ‘cardinal sin’ of parliamentary politics and is honour-bound to resign.
If she had any honour.
Any imagined ‘wiggle room’ – already a forlorn hope after the release of a recording of Surrey CC head David Hodge describing his experience of discussions with Cabinet-level government ministers about special incentives – that May might have hoped for vanished today with the publication of emails between Jonathan Lord, Tory MP for Woking, and Hodge.
Emails that put beyond doubt the fact that there was a ‘sweetheart deal’ – and that Theresa May therefore lied to Parliament.
The email thread reproduced at the end of this article shows that:
- Hodge discussed ‘collective action’ by Tory MPs with Lord to change local government funding
- Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, had given assurances that he was ‘trying very hard indeed’ to find additional funds for Surrey – and only for Surrey
- Javid was prepared, if he couldn’t find extra money or get any allocated by the Treasury, to reduce the funds of every other council in the country to find tens of millions extra for Surrey, one of the richest
If Theresa May was filmed puffing the smoke away from the end of the gun-barrel while standing over the still-twitching corpses of truth and integrity, the evidence couldn’t be any more damning.
May and her government were prepared to further impoverish the entire country in order to rescue themselves from some political embarrassment – and she lied flat out to the House.
It’s a sign of the perversity of our political system that Mrs May is obliged to resign for the latter and not for the former – and of its leprous sickness that she is likely to ignore that obligation unless she is forced to act upon it. It is also a nauseating indictment of the state of our media that none of the mainstream broadcasters or press is even mentioning it.
So it’s up to us to spread the word and raise the stink this bullshit merits.
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Reblogged this on Sid's Blog and commented:
Was her insane laughter in HofC today, a Trump-deflection tactic?
Reblogged this on sdbast.
Perhaps I’m misreading the e-mail from Mr Lord, but I see this:
Mr Lord is telling Mr Hodge that Mr Javid has not so far “come up with the goods” but has the option to rob everyone else to pay Surrey, and that he should be encouraged to do so.
It does not, contrary to your assertion, say that Mr Javid is prepared to do what may be asked of him.
Mr Javid is not party to these exchanges.
Unless you think that Lord is just making it up, you’re talking nonsense. Funny how you seem to feel the need to jump into every comment thread, Graham. Almost like you felt you had to…
Following this email Mr Hodge was recorded briefing his fellow Conservative Surrey councillors that a local helpful MP had maintained telephone contact with him while meeting Sajid Javid in his car; then they had left that car to visit the chancellor; then “his SPAD” (I am not sure whose SPAD from this recording) called to advise them to keep schtum.
Mr Hodge describes this as a “gentleman’s agreement”.
The PM stated no special deal had been made with Surrey council.
The congruence of the e-mail; the recording; and Mr Hodge’s texts lead to an unequivocal conclusion.
The govt has made a special deal with Surrey council.
The only other explanation is that Hodge is fantastically misleading his colleagues ; or the MP/ ministers are brazenly lying to Hodge to make him look foolish.
A trusted colleague of Hodge is trying to get him removed or where would this recording have come from ?
And Graham Hindson must work 24 hours a day correcting all the discrepancies he finds in the news coverage of the Daily Mail; Sun; BBC etc don’t you think?
I’ve tried to reply to this already, but I’ll remove what I think is the contentious part and try again.
Graham Hindson 09/03/2017 at 10:37 am · ·
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
There are loads of people telling the DM, Sun, BBC etc where they’ve got it wrong. When Skwakbox gets it wrong, surely he/she shouldn’t be immune.
I took out the links to JC’s third pension and it got through unscathed.
Huh?
The letter reeks of Tory entitlement. For all council tax payers, who are threatened with imprisonment if they don’t cough up, this is sickening to observe and a massive kick in the teeth.
Presumably if the horse-trading continues, one of the next steps will be a knighthood or ennoblement for Jonathan Lord MP?
“Your Maj, I remain your humble servant and thank you for draping me from top to toe in this lovely ermine at taxpayers’ expense”,
love and kisses,
Lord Lord
xxxx
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