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| Ashcroft and Hague are not inclined to meet us |
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| Written by Gordon Prentice | |||
| Wednesday, 17 March 2010 17:57 | |||
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Sir George Young told Tony Wright this afternoon that Lord Ashcroft and William Hague are “not inclined” to come before the Public Administration Select Committee tomorrow morning when it enquires into the circumstances surrounding Ashcroft’s elevation to the peerage. Their refusal to attend is par for the course, I’d say. If they have nothing to hide then why don’t they come before the committee and demolish us with their argument and evidence? Sir George blurted out on Newsnight in February that Ashcroft was a non dom. This was followed by all sorts of qualifications and denials. Then the man from Belize cleared up the mystery on 1 March. Here is Sir George Young’s letter: I understand your Committee has decided to launch an inquiry into Lord Ashcroft’s nomination for a Peerage. I also understand that the Conservative Members of your Committee have declined to take part, inevitably undermining the authority of any report which might be issued. Your Committee’s pioneering work has carried weight because of the broad support of its recommendations. In the days immediately preceding the dissolution of this Parliament, this inquiry inevitably risks being seen as partisan. I am writing to let you know that my Parliamentary colleagues who have been invited to attend are not inclined to do so. I think it best if these sorts of issues are explored in the round, and on a genuine cross-party basis, in the next Parliament. 
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| Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 March 2010 18:05 |