Cabinet Expenses Blown Out Of The Water

Brown and his cabinet are under fire after full details of their expenses were leaked to the Telegraph which has blown the lid off the sordid expenses scandal dogging greedy ministers. 

The explosive revelations lay bare the rot at the heart of Brown's cabinet and threaten to bring the fag-end government crashing to its knees in looming elections. 

 

So far Brown and 12 of his ministers are being exposed by the Telegraph including justice secretary Jack Straw, communities secretary Hazel Blears and welsh secretary, Paul Murphy.

Expenses from regular MPs from all parties are expected to be drip-fed in the coming days. 

As the explosive list was revealed, Downing Street was forced to work  overtime trying to explain away some of the claims, which included the bare-faced cheek of Brown paying his brother for "cleaning services". 

Many MPs from all parties were already breaking out in a cold sweat as  five years’ worth of expenses claims were due to be published in July, under the Freedom of Information law. 

That would have exposed the naked truth and allowed journalists and the public to cross-check who was doing what, where, when and with whom and exactly how much taxpayers were having to stump up to feed the luxury lifestyle.

But there was outrage from the media as it was revealed crucial information on the receipts would have been blacked out, making it difficult for taxpayers to get the full extent of the parliamentary scam and cross-check expenses with flipping second homes.

Now it's understood the Telegraph has seen uncensored copies of the receipts, which lay bare the extent of the fiddles  and how some MPs used every trick in the book to exploit the rotten system. 

Details revealed by the Telegraph include: 

• Brown paid his brother Andrew more than £6,000 for "cleaning services" over the course of two years and reclaimed the money from the taxpayer. He also claimed twice for the same £153 plumber's bill - money which he paid back today after the Telegraph pointed out the discrepancy to Downing Street.

• Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, claimed money for three different properties in the course of a year, and spent almost £5,000 on furniture in just four months after buying the third property.

• Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, claimed back twice as much for his council tax as he had actually paid. He later repaid the money and apologised for the error.

• Paul Murphy, the Welsh Secretary, splashed out more than £3,000 on a new hot water system for his second home, explaining in a letter to the parliamentary fees office that his water was too hot.

Desperately trying to put a lid on the whole sordid affair and limit the damage ahead of July's publication, Brown suffered a humiliating commons defeat last week when he was forced to drop his half-baked plans  for a quick fix, announced on his foolish YouTube video,  following  a whole raft of sordid expenses scandals involving his greedy ministers.

Earlier today two homes secretary Smith was accused of further expenses fiddles amid claims she'd refurbished her family home in her constituency, claiming her "main" home was a spare bedroom in her sister’s London house, putting her job further on the line.

Wary of rivals stealing a march ahead of publication, the Telegraph is playing the whole exclusive close to its chest, with more details due to be revealed in tommorrow's splash. 

As for the mole-hunt and who leaked the damaging disk in the public interest, Benedict Brogan now with the Telegraph from the Mail will be keeping that one very close to his chest. 

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Man Of Straw Blocks Iraq's Dirty Secrets

Dirty secrets behind Blair's lies and deceit over the illegal Iraq War could be covered-up behind a wall of secrecy for years to come if justice secretary puppet, Jack Straw, gets his way, after blocking publication of minutes of key cabinet meetings held in the 2003 run-up to the war.

The cabinet meetings expose one of the most shameful episodes of Blair's premiership and now look set to be confined to the 30 years cabinet rule, despite the Information Tribunal stressing that disclosure of the Iraq material would not necessarily set a precedent.

Straw claims the release of the information would do "serious damage" to cabinet government and outweighed public interest needs. The only interest it serves is for those round the cabinet table at the time, including the now prime minister.

The government has built up a wall of secrecy over the release of the cabinet meeting minutes which centre on the attorney general's legal advice on whether the invasion was allowed under international law.  

Tories have backed the cabinet cover-up despite repeatedly calling for a full-scale inquiry into the Iraq war with many people still angry about the deceits and cover-ups. 

But the release of the cabinet minutes would reopen controversy over the then attorney general Lord Goldsmith's legal advice.

On March 17 on the eve of war, Lord Goldsmith's opinion, unequivocally saying military action was legal, was presented to cabinet, MPs and the military and published.

But, after reports that he had changed his mind as the planned invasion approached, the initial lengthy advice given to Blair earlier on 7 March was leaked and published.

That advice raised a number of questions and concerns about the possible legality of military action against Iraq without a second UN resolution and was never shown to the cabinet.

The Orange Party has no doubt. The cabinet minutes should be released as a matter of utmost public interest even if it does mean hanging out some dirty washing in public. Those around the cabinet table who took these decisions should be held to account. 

But it is the dirty secrets of the 'sexed up' dodgy dossier which would prove most damaging and that's still well under wraps. 

At the end of the day everyone knows Blair was lying through his polished political teeth. And if he could get away with one porky, then Saddam's elusive Weapons of Mass Destruction would be a piece of cake. 

The "sexed-up" dossier, with its now de-bunked '45 minutes weapons of mass destruction' claim, was published in 2002 as parliament returned and Blair needed the dossier to boost his case for the Iraq invasion. 

Intelligence chief, John Scarlett, who was in charge of the dossier, allowed changes to be inserted by Downing Street spin doctor, Alastair Campbell. 

Campbell's Diaries reveal how he reacted furiously to a report by Andrew Gilligan on the BBC Today programme, implying that he had inserted a key claim in the dossier stating weapons could be launched in 45 minutes. 

Ministry of Defence weapons expert, Dr David Kelly, who met Gilligan to discuss the dossier, was found dead in Oxfordshire, following a witch hunt by the government for Gilligan's source.

The Hutton Inquiry whitewash into Kelly's death found that Campbell proposed a number of changes to the dossier before its publication, some of which were accepted.

The cabinet office has yet to lift the lid on that Iraq "sexed-up" dodgy dossier, after the information commissioner's request to release the documents. But after today's cabinet minutes veto by Straw, don't hold your breath. 

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How Many More Lords Of Corruption?

15 years after the Sunday Times exposed the commons 'cash for questions' scandal, the Insight team has blown the gaff on a 'cash for laws' scandal - this time with their sights on the 'untouchable' Lords and New Labour's cronies. Now only a deep clean will remove the stench of corruption filling the air.

In a sting worthy of the original Insight investigations, Sunday Times undercover reporters claim their lordships offered to help make amendments to legislation in return for up to £120,000.

The Orange Party finds it somewhat refreshing yet disturbing that out of the ten peers approached, only the New Labour lords went a-leaping, with three Tory, one LibDem and an Ulster Unionist having nothing to do with it. 

In the frame as reporters posed as lobbyists before making their excuses and leaving, are a former energy minister, Lord Truscott, Lord Moonie, a former defence minister, Lord Snape, a former government whip and Lord Taylor of Blackburn, pal of justice secretary Jack Straw. All the peers reportedly deny any wrongdoing.

Taylor is reported to have made a priceless comment to the Sunday Times: "The rules are meant to be bent sometimes". That does beg the question, just how many of their lordships are at it? 

Leader of the Lords, Baroness Royall, said she is "deeply concerned" over the allegations and if it emerged the peers had broken the rules, they would be "named and shamed". 

That's not good enough Lady R. These are allegations of corruption and that is serious. The House needs to be put in order to nip the 'cash for laws' in the bud.

 

Her hands are tied of course as their lordships are untouchable and can't be thrown out but what is required is legislation. Maybe Straw can make a start on a first draft, with help from Lord Mandelson? 

In 1994, the Sunday Times followed by the Guardian, exposed Tory 'cash for questions' scandals in the commons leading to the Nolan committee on standards, a tougher register of members interests and Major's government branded with 'sleaze'.

Blair famously declared an end to sleaze as the government beavered away creating peerages for pals, stuffed the cosy gentleman's club with its cronies (more than 370 in total) and came spectacularly unstuck with the greed-fuelled 'cash for honours' scandal.

What little public confidence there is now in the behaviour of their lordships can only be restored with a deep clean to rid the House of the Lords of Corruption and a full independent investigation of this disgrace, backed by prime minister Brown.

Picture: Flashback to 1997 and Private Eye's take on the Hamiltons and one of the original 'cash for questions' scandals, which helped bring down Major's nice 'n sleazy government. 

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Headless Chickens Leave Voters Cold

Ministers are floundering around sending out a staggering array of mixed messages to capture headlines and bewitch voters. But running around like headless chickens leaves voters bothered and bewildered. 

Hardly a day goes by without more spin and confusion. The Orange Party is starting to get a headache. God knows what the public must be thinking. 

A couple of treats over the last few days bring all the spin into sharp focus. 

First up slippery Jack Straw who, having failed to get secret inquests in his anti-terror bill, to rounds of applause from anyone concerned about civil liberties, suddenly pops up with the same cunning plan to allow inquests behind closed doors with the pathetic excuse of “national security”. Everyone knows this is just a way of avoiding coroners' stinging criticism over troop weapons shortages. So why the confusing flannel?

Yesterday's prize went to Mandelson's junior minister, Baroness Vadera with her ludicrous headline grabbing statement that she saw "green shoots of recovery". Hastily retracted, Vadera eats shoots and leaves. It grabbed the headlines but not in the way either she or Mandy intended. 

Today it's the Heathrow runway sham. At a stroke blowing the government's pretence of any green credentials out of the window and forcing backbench Labour MPs, particularly in the marginals, to write their election suicide notes. 

Today also it's Blair-boy Miliband whose suddenly woken up, smelt the coffee and decided the 'war of terror'  wasn't such a good idea after all. Where on earth has he been all these years? Seven years of New Labour foreign policy thrown out of the window. Where was the weasel-worded wonder boy's conscience then?

And if that's not all, the public has to suffer the ridiculous sham of the school league tables, now a totally meaningless yearly farce.

Meanwhile back in Brown's deluded world, he's running around like a headless chicken trying to look busy doing nothing, as the economy crashes around his ears, creating false hopes on the jobs front as every new announcement is swiftly rounded on and exposed as a sham. 

Still to come is Mandy's plan to sell off Royal Mail. He's sticking to his guns but faces a full-scale backbench rebellion, throwing the whole mess into a confusing spotlight. 

So much of the spin has Mandelson's paw prints over them and its starting to get up the nose of backbench MPs. 

Did Brown really know what he was letting himself in for when he allowed Mandelson to flee from the clutches of the EU and run for cover in his government? It seemed like such a good idea at the time and for a while the master of spin did his job, managing to head off any coup against Brown and paint the supreme leader in a good light. 

But, as the Orange Party warned at the time, Mandelson always came with a health warning. Too much spin is bad for the government's health. Tories, LibDems and SNP will be laughing all the way to the ballot box.

UPDATE: Backbench true Labour MP, John McDonnell, has been suspended from the commons for five days. His crime? Running off with the sacred mace and attacking Hoon over the Heathrow runway with the words: "You are a disgrace to democracy." Thank god there are still Labour MPs with the guts to stand up to these morons.

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How Low Can They Go In The Polls?

It's a sad state of affairs when polls show that only Blair is more popular than Brown in the Labour stakes and he'd still lose hands down to Cameron. 

But the YouGov poll in today's Daily Telegraph will offer Brown some crumbs of comfort. He may not be 'up to the job' but the wannabe prime ministers are even worse! 

None of the cabinet minister challengers flagged up in the poll would improve Labour's chances. And that includes the Milibandwaggon.

Just 15% of voters, questioned by YouGov this week, said they believe Brown is "up to the job". 

Labour trails well behind the Conservatives who are on 47% to Labour's 25%.

With Miliband as leader, Labour scores 24% against 47% for the Conservatives. Under Straw, the difference is roughly the same. 

Not surprising, with Balls as leader (why was he included?), Labour would fall to 17%, pushed into third place behind the LibDems on 18% and the Conservatives on 50%. 

Blair has bigger fish to fry and is eyeing up the new EU Presidency, but with that Blair scenario, it still would be 32% Labour to 41% Conservatives.

But many voters have started to pity Brown, according to the poll. That's another little crumb for him. 

In the US Obama/McCain race for the White House, voters are starting to prefer the 'underdog' to the 'top dog'.

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Brown's 42 Day Trial By Media

The Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) has a chance again today to show that it is New Labour that are the 'rebels' and the highjackers of the Party. But as the 42 day detention row looms, Brown seems to have chosen to talk not to his MPs but through the media. So much for Parliamentary Party democracy.

Another backbench revolt may be brewing among the Labour MPs but today will not be the Straw that breaks Brown's back. 

Will Brown listen? Will he heck. Will he even be there? Doubtful, choosing instead to ignore the PLP and use a Murdoch newspaper as a mouthpiece, leaving his cronies to churn out  the same line in whatever media outlets are happy to be taken in. 

Brown is doing the usual. He won't touch it, meet it, sign it or do anything. And the so-called rebels? This isn't their moment. They are saving themselves for an actual vote. 

Trying to bribe Northern Ireland's DUP with a plan for 42 days internment without trial, leaves a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. 

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