Tag Archives: Andrew Mitchell

Kay Burley Calls Minister Out For Side-Stepping Questions Over ‘Disgraceful’ Mark Menzies Saga

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Kay Burley cornered a minister over the Conservatives’ handling of the saga around former Tory Mark Menzies in an awkward Sky News clash on Monday.

Menzies resigned from the party on Sunday and announced he would not be standing at the next general election, days after allegations he had misused campaign funds emerged.

He denied all claims against him. A Tory Party investigation found he had not misused funds because he had taken money from a group outside of the main Conservative remit.

However, the Sky News presenter still pressed foreign minister Andrew Mitchell over the messy incident.

Burley asked: “What most offended you about [Mark Menzies]′ actions?

“Was it the misuse of funds, was it his questionable behaviour over many years or was it [him] asking a member of his team to go to a potential crime scene, with a bag load of cash, where she was already told, ‘bad men are inside’?”

Mitchell replied: “I’ve been in Washington until yesterday doing my job as the minister for international development.”

Burley refused to take that as answer, only for Mitchell to say: “I’m not fully conversant with all the details.”

“Well, you should be,” the presenter noted.

Mitchell continued: “What I am clear about is that the Conservative Party has properly investigated this matter.

“It’s done it in a timely way, which respects the rights of all parties, lessons will be learnt.”

Burley laughed and said: “What does that mean?”

According to The Times – which first broke the story – the Tories had been aware of the allegations for three months, but had not taken any action.

Burley asked again: “Are you more offended by the funds or the fact that a junior member of his team was told to go with a bag-load of cash where she had been told bad men were inside? That’s disgraceful.”

“I don’t think his actions were those one has the right to expect from a member of parliament and that is why he no longer has the whip and is no longer a member of the Conservative Party,” Mitchell said.

Burley pushed: “Should he step down altogether or are you quite relieved that he’s waiting until the next election so there’s not another by-election?”

Mitchell said that was not a matter for the Tories anymore.

Burley said: “So you’re very happy that the party have handled this in exactly the right way?”

Mitchell just replied that the party has handled it in a “way that handles the rights of the individuals” involved, and that he does not “criticise the party over the speed with which it handled this”.

“Would you expect a Conservative aide to have to behave in this manner, taking a bag load of cash to a place that isn’t safe?” Burley asked again.

Mitchell replied: “That is why we are looking at the issue of a whistleblowers’ rights, and doing a retraining of those in the Conservative Association to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

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Tory Splits Have Erupted Over Tax Cuts Ahead Of Next Month’s Budget

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Deep Tory splits have burst into the open as pressure mounts on Jeremy Hunt to cut taxes in next month’s budget.

Right-wing backbencher John Redwood today urged the government to “get on with it” and said the majority of Conservative backbenchers agree.

But development minister Andrew Mitchell said immediate tax cuts were “extremely hard to justify” and backed the chancellor and Rishi Sunak, who have said tax cuts are unaffordable at the moment.

The clash came in the wake of official figures which confirmed the UK economy flatlined in the final three months of 2022.

Hunt will deliver his Budget on March 15, but has repeatedly insisted that inflation must come down before taxes can be cut.

Supporters of former prime minister Liz Truss have formed the Conservative Growth Group to put pressure on the chancellor and PM to change course.

Redwood, who is a member of the group, said the government should start by cancelling the planned rise in corporation tax – which companies pay on their profits – from 19p to 25p in the pound.

He said: “We want to see sensible, targeted tax cuts that will boost self-employment, boost investment and help solve the problem of recruiting and retaining doctors and other skilled staff, and will add to the idea of growth.

“All the evidence is in the past, when Conservative governments have had the courage to cut corporation tax rates, it raises more money.”

The Wokingham MP also called for VAT to be removed from domestic fuel bills.

He added: “The growth group is gathering strength as we speak. There are dozens of Conservative MPs who take the view that the growth strategy the government has headlined needs some more positive measures behind it.

“I think you’ll find a majority of Conservative backbenchers agree with what I’m saying today – that they want targeted tax cuts and there will be a range of views on which are the best targeted tax cuts to choose.

“The majority believes that you don’t get growth without more realistic tax levels.

“Many are very worried that Britain is in danger of becoming uncompetitive because of the higher taxes the government is wishing to impose.”

But Andrew Mitchell rejected Redwood’s ideas and said taxes could only come down when the government can afford them.

He said: “In the end, if we make tax cuts which are not properly funded, it’s borrowing and it’s taxation deferred for the next generation. Many of us are very concerned about inter-generational fairness in Britain – the position of our children and our grandchildren.

“So I think tax cuts are very important, but they’ve got to be done at the right time and I think that the philosophy and argument that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has set out is absolutely right.

“We will get them when we can, but I think at the moment it’s extremely difficult to justify them.”

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