Should Lord Ashcroft lose his peerage?

[Wildcat]

New questions over Ashcroft tax deal deepen Tory donor row

 

Senior Tories expressed growing unease over the Lord Ashcroft tax saga as new evidence emerged to contradict the billionaire donor’s account of how he became a peer.

 

The party’s deputy chairman shocked colleagues when he revealed that he had not paid tax on his overseas fortune since becoming a member of the House of Lords a decade ago.

 

As David Cameron tried in vain to draw a line under the affair yesterday, senior Tories expressed surprise at the revelations of Lord Ashcroft’s non-dom status. One said that the peer, who has helped to organise and bankroll the Conservatives’ election campaign, had used “smoke and mirrors over a long period of time”. Another said that previous party leaders had adopted a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach.

 

Lord Ashcroft’s claim that he struck a deal with the Government over his tax status was undermined last night.

 

Sir Hayden Phillips, a former senior civil servant who gave the peerage its final approval, told The Times that he had not offered official blessing for him to avoid taxes on his foreign income.

 

“I was in no position to confirm whether or not he would or would not meet the commitments he had entered into,” he said. “Nor was I in the business of interpreting what those commitments meant.”

 

William Hague was also drawn deeper into the affair when it emerged that his chief whip played a key role in Lord Ashcroft watering down his pledge to become a permanent UK resident.

 

Mr Cameron insisted that the peer had answered the central question. “People now know what his tax status is. This has been resolved. The horse is dead and should no longer be flogged.”

 

Questions persisted, however, about when he and Mr Hague knew about Lord Ashcroft’s non-dom status.

 

Letters obtained by The Times also reveal that the Lords committee that approved Lord Ashcroft’s peerage at the third time of asking regarded his tax status as central to the decision.

 

Lord Thomson of Monifieth, chairman of the political honours scrutiny committee, explained in a letter dated March 22, 2000, that Michael Ashcroft was being turned down for a second time over doubts about his return to Britain.

 

If he gave assurances about an “irrevocable” decision, “carrying with it messages about availability and status as a UK taxpayer”, that would go a long way towards meeting their concern. Just 24 hours later Mr Ashcroft delivered a signed and witnessed statement to Mr Hague giving his “solemn and binding” undertaking to take up permanent residence in the UK.

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7047467.ece

 

The case is far from over with more allegations of lieing and deceits.

[Guest sibon]

Yes a good clear out. In fact, I would not shed a tear if the Lords was shut completely. Replaced perhaps by a chamber elected by PR.

 

There should be a bloody good clear out. Start with Lords Ashcroft and Paul. Follow up with all the MPs and Lords who attend for less than 50% of votes. Add on all those who have been forced to pay back expenses, even though they were "operating within the rules". And the ones who broke the law. Extend it a little and shift the senior civil servants who oversee all this nonsense and do nothing about it. The whole lot bring our political system into disrepute.

 

The problem is that the only people who have the power to overthrow the establishment are... the establishment.

 

Anybody for a Velvet Revolution?

[mj.scuba]

I wonder if Lord Mandelson paid UK tax on his salary as EU Trade Comissioner?

[Guest sibon]

They have regular income from dozens of trade unions though which donate £millions, I doubt none of which give their members any say in where their Union subscriptions are directed.

 

Educate yourself. Have a read at this article about the Political Fund of my Union.

 

You can come back and tell us all how very wrong you were, if you like.

[Guest sibon]

I wonder if Lord Mandelson paid UK tax on his salary as EU Trade Comissioner?

 

I'm not his accountant, but I am a betting man. A tenner says he did.

[Tony]

How about Lord Mandelson's £400k 'personal loan' from Labour paymaster Geoffrey Robinson ? Did he pay tax on that? Did he even pay the market interest rate? Nah, of course not.

 

That would be a resigning matter wouldn't it?

 

Mud sometimes sticks when you sling it.

[mj.scuba]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/7223662/David-Cameron-to-take-on-the-unions-by-scrapping-automatic-funding-of-Labour.html

 

Currently, unions only need to ask members every 10 years if they want to contribute to their political funds, which also includes spending on campaigning and lobbying.

 

Around £8million a year is channelled through the political funds to Labour party coffers in this way.

 

Under the Tory plans, union members would have to choose to contribute to the political fund every time they pay their annual subscription.

 

Asking individual union members to tick a box supporting Labour every year was a key sticking point in talks to reform party funding which collapsed amid acrimony two years ago.

 

Mr Cameron has pointed out that many union members are not Labour supporters and yet are often unwilling contributors to the party.

[Guest sibon]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/7223662/David-Cameron-to-take-on-the-unions-by-scrapping-automatic-funding-of-Labour.html

 

But you can opt out at any time. In the Political Fund rules for my Union, there is an opt out form. I only need to opt out once and that is it, unless I opt in again. If people are stupid enough to join organisations and not read the rules, then that is their own fault.

[Guest sibon]

How about Lord Mandelson's £400k 'personal loan' from Labour paymaster Geoffrey Robinson ? Did he pay tax on that? Did he even pay the market interest rate? Nah, of course not.

 

That would be a resigning matter wouldn't it?

 

Mud sometimes sticks when you sling it.

 

TBF you might be better aiming at a political figure who isn't universally hated. I wouldn't kick Mandy out of Parliament, I'd consign him to the fiery pits of hell.

[Wildcat]

But you can opt out at any time. In the Political Fund rules for my Union, there is an opt out form. I only need to opt out once and that is it, unless I opt in again. If people are stupid enough to join organisations and not read the rules, then that is their own fault.

 

It is not like it is kept a big secret or anything.

 

The people that throw this sort of rubbish at unions do so because they want to undermine the rights of working people.