Westminster is covered in sleaze and the UK press have turned their spot light on the government in a mission to expose the corruption. After 12 years in power, the Conservatives have changed and become complacent, full of self interest and lost touch with the role of representing their electorate.
Boris’s exuberant decoration of his Downing Street flat at six times the official budget, shows the culture of excess is endorsed from the top. A seat on the House of Lords can allegedly be bought with a donation in excess of £3m. Working from home has seen one MP relocate to the Caribbean for some of the pandemic, distancing himself from the electorate not only in terms of geography, but also showing the financial and social distance. The conflict of interest between the primary job as a member of parliament representing their electorate and the (often) more lucrative and enticing second jobs is giving more fuel for the press.
It should be said that corruption is not just a conservative trait, any party in power for long enough usually becomes so comfortable that by the third term they feel invincible and behave in ways that show no humbleness. When Liam Byrne, chief secretary to the Treasury under Gordon Brown (Labour), left office in 2010, he left an unforgettable good bye note saying there was no money left. It’s all gone !
The warning bell is ringing for Boris. During the pandemic he enjoyed a surge in popularity due to his personality, humour, generous pandemic support and a head start with the vaccination programme. Now the sleaze is starting to hit hard and MPs are looking for exits and to financially secure their futures.
In April 2021, Rebel Economics posted ‘Boris Crazy about UK Steel’ which highlighted the plight of the steel sector where profits have been privatised and losses nationalised. Former Prime Minister David Cameron, lobbied the government of behalf of Greensill Capital. Greensill were approved eight government tax payer funded loans to corporate entities all linked to Sanjeev Gupta (owner of UK steel company Tata Steel). These loans totalled £400m, eight times the £50m cap for loans to a single company.
Cameron at one stage, pushed the Bank of England and Treasury to risk up to £20bn of tax payer funding to help Greensill Capital in April 2020. Fortunately this was not accepted. If only the MPs could focus their time and energy on their electorate and the actual steel industry. They should be looking to secure its future and the livelihoods of its employees and pensioners, instead of seeing it as a vessel to manipulate, control and secure taxpayer’s money.
Top jobs in the Arts and Media industries are another way to gain power. George Osborne, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, landed Chair of the Board of Trustees at the ‘British Museum’ in June 2021. He was attacked by Labour MPs who said ‘He has enough jobs already, he doesn’t need another job’. The recruitment of Osborne was led by Baroness Shafik of Camden who was deputy governor of the Bank of England when Osborne was Chancellor.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, also enjoys a prominent position on the board of The National Portrait Gallery. Robbie Gibb, a former Downing Street director of communications, is now on the BBC board. These political appointments are not considered directly part of any sleaze, but show the power being exerted by the government outside of Westminster.
Paul Dacre, former editor of the Daily Mail, had the sense to pull out of running for the chair position at media regulator Ofcom. There were fears in Conservative circles that his candidacy might have inflamed the Westminster ‘sleaze’ row even further. He had previously applied for the position overseeing Ofcom’s expanding role regulating media, telecoms and the internet.
Young people need ethical leaders with integrity to look up to, to respect and to be able to rely on.
Something needs to be done to connect the MPs to their prime role. Doctors have little time for second jobs, they take a hippocratic oath to serve their patients. Maybe an oath taken by MPs needs to be installed, maybe rules around second jobs and abuse of power with real consequences.
The economics of being an MP needs to be examined. A basic salary of around £80,000 with expenses that could be up to £100,000 doesn’t appear to be enough. There should be a pay review to see if this level of pay would attract the right level of candidates, and then a ban on second jobs or any other conflict of interest.
The latest speech by Boris Johnson saw him trying to connect with the electorate by talking down to them about a trip he had taken to Peppa Pig World. A ‘smoke-screen’ to actually avoid discussing the issues of the day. It feels condescending that a Prime Minister would talk of Peppa Pig at a CBI conference, as if this is something he thinks will be relatable.
Business leaders that have drive, ethics and character show us that leaders can work at a high level for a long period of time and do good. Jamie Oliver has worked ethically to improve childhood obesity. The Timpson foundation, is the largest employer of ex offenders. Other businesses that have good ethics include: H&M, Patagonia, Tesla and many smaller brands. You don’t need the promise of a ‘chair of a board’ or a ‘second income’ to do good deeds.
Climate change, a struggling health service, future job security are all pressing issues for the government to be getting on with. With the intensity of the press on them, they would be best to leave a legacy of good deeds and their mark in history.
Rebel Economics 