Peter Watt, the Genertal Secretary of the Labour Party has resigned over the latest funding scandal. Apparently he knew that the money had been donated through intermediaries but didn't know it was against the law the Labour Party created.
Don't know when these donations were made but at least from the start of cash-for-honours you'd think they'd want to be sure they were clean and decent.
The intermediaries are now likely in the clear, but most of the criminal offences under the Act are specifically committable by the Party Treasurer. Peter Watt may have fallen foul of Section 61 or others, but Jack Dromey (Harriet Harman's husband and still, amazingly, Labour Treasurer) is more at risk because of the responsibilities he carries to accurately report what we now know the Gen Sec was told about the donations.
Mr Dromey will have to answer quickly whether he knew the donations were through an intermediary. In my opinion, if he did know, and did not report that information to the Electoral Commission, he has likely committed a criminal offence.
It is difficult to see how, having known nothing about the secret loans, he could claim to know nothing about this, and be allowed to remain as Party Treasurer. This is, at best, the picture of a man who is not qualified to be Treasurer of the TGWU and the Labour Party.
5 comments:
And he never thought to check?
Don't know when these donations were made but at least from the start of cash-for-honours you'd think they'd want to be sure they were clean and decent.
of course, that is why he has resigned. Not because now he can argue that he need not go before a parliamentary standards commitee...
The intermediaries are now likely in the clear, but most of the criminal offences under the Act are specifically committable by the Party Treasurer. Peter Watt may have fallen foul of Section 61 or others, but Jack Dromey (Harriet Harman's husband and still, amazingly, Labour Treasurer) is more at risk because of the responsibilities he carries to accurately report what we now know the Gen Sec was told about the donations.
Mr Dromey will have to answer quickly whether he knew the donations were through an intermediary. In my opinion, if he did know, and did not report that information to the Electoral Commission, he has likely committed a criminal offence.
It is difficult to see how, having known nothing about the secret loans, he could claim to know nothing about this, and be allowed to remain as Party Treasurer. This is, at best, the picture of a man who is not qualified to be Treasurer of the TGWU and the Labour Party.
MORUS
The word is LAUNDERED
It's a huge story. BBC TV's morning news show devoted a full two and a half minutes to it this morning.
That's nearly half as long as their other main story which is about scallop fishing in Dorset.
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