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| Osborne on Ashcroft |
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| Written by Gordon Prentice | |||
| Sunday, 28 February 2010 11:44 | |||
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This morning, the BBC's Andrew Marr had another go at getting an answer on Ashcroft from Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne. Alas, more evasion and obfuscation.
George wasn't having any of it, laying down the usual smokescreen. The Conservatives want to ban non UK taxpayers from sitting in the UK Parliament. We all do.
The central unanswered question is whether Michael Ashcroft fulfilled the terms of the undertaking he gave to the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee a decade ago when he was being considered for a peerage.
People at the top of the Conservative Party must know the answer to this. But, despite all the talk of "change" and "openness" and "being straight with people" this is one dirty little secret they are determined to keep hidden away.
Within the next few days, on the instructions of the Information Commissioner, the Cabinet Office will tell me the form Ashcroft's undertaking took and to whom it was given.
Consider the options. The Political Honours Scrutiny Committee (now abolished with its functions transferred to the House of Lords Appointments Commission) had rejected Michael Ashcroft when William Hague had nominated him for a peerage in 1999. Do we seriously believe the PHSC contacted Ashcroft directly the following year when he was again nominated by Hague to tell him they still had reservations? I don't think so.
The PHSC would, most likely, have raised their concerns with the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who, in turn would have passed them on to Hague.
Alternatively, but I think less likely, the PHSC could have corresponded directly with Hague.
Either way, Hague must have known the fine print of the undertaking sought and the promise given by Ashcroft which cleared the way for his ennoblement.
Unless the Conservatives come clean, this election will be dominated by questions about Ashcroft, the man with the fat wallet who doesn't pay UK taxes.
On Tuesday, I hope the Speaker will select my amendment to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill which will lay a duty on the House of Lords Appointments Commission to satisfy itself that promises made by Ashcroft to get a peerage were promises kept.
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| Last Updated on Sunday, 28 February 2010 11:53 |