Sunday, December 06, 2020
Another chum appointed
Apparently, the awarding of contracts and the allocation of jobs within the government to friends and allies of Conservative ministers has an official name, it is a 'direct appointment process'.
According to the Guardian, the latest person to benefit from this largesse is Nimco Ali, who is reportedly godmother to the son of Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson, and who was appointed adviser on tackling violence against women and girls in October, a role that was not publicly advertised:
Information released under the Freedom of Information Act to The Critic magazine revealed that she was hired via a “direct appointment process”, without open competition or advertisement for the job.
It appears the role may have been created for Ali, with no mention of it before her appointment. She is paid £350 a day and works two days a month.
Ali is a prominent campaigner against female genital mutilation (FGM), which she was subjected to at the age of seven.
She arrived in Britain as a four-year-old refugee from Somalia and went on to co-found the non-profit Daughters of Eve, and later the Five Foundation – a global campaign to end FGM. She was made an OBE in 2019 in recognition of her work.
Following her appointment to the advisory position, she said more needed to be done to combat violence against women.
Although she stood as a candidate for the Women’s Equality party in 2017, Ali has campaigned for the Conservatives in recent years, becoming a close friend of Carrie Symonds and a vocal supporter of Boris Johnson.
Actually, from the information available Nimco Ali looks well-qualified for this role. A Home Office spokesperson is quoted as saying she: “has a strong track record of campaigning on violence against women and girls’ issues, raising awareness and educating people about female genital mutilation. She brings a huge amount of experience and passion to this role, providing independent advice to help inform government policy and challenge the status quo."
Which is fine, but why then arouse suspicion by failing to follow a proper appointment process, thus undermining her work and that of the role she is filling?
According to the Guardian, the latest person to benefit from this largesse is Nimco Ali, who is reportedly godmother to the son of Carrie Symonds and Boris Johnson, and who was appointed adviser on tackling violence against women and girls in October, a role that was not publicly advertised:
Information released under the Freedom of Information Act to The Critic magazine revealed that she was hired via a “direct appointment process”, without open competition or advertisement for the job.
It appears the role may have been created for Ali, with no mention of it before her appointment. She is paid £350 a day and works two days a month.
Ali is a prominent campaigner against female genital mutilation (FGM), which she was subjected to at the age of seven.
She arrived in Britain as a four-year-old refugee from Somalia and went on to co-found the non-profit Daughters of Eve, and later the Five Foundation – a global campaign to end FGM. She was made an OBE in 2019 in recognition of her work.
Following her appointment to the advisory position, she said more needed to be done to combat violence against women.
Although she stood as a candidate for the Women’s Equality party in 2017, Ali has campaigned for the Conservatives in recent years, becoming a close friend of Carrie Symonds and a vocal supporter of Boris Johnson.
Actually, from the information available Nimco Ali looks well-qualified for this role. A Home Office spokesperson is quoted as saying she: “has a strong track record of campaigning on violence against women and girls’ issues, raising awareness and educating people about female genital mutilation. She brings a huge amount of experience and passion to this role, providing independent advice to help inform government policy and challenge the status quo."
Which is fine, but why then arouse suspicion by failing to follow a proper appointment process, thus undermining her work and that of the role she is filling?
This is especially so when so many other jobs and contracts have seemingly been awarded without the same merit or justification. This action just adds to the impression of a chumocracy, a failure of transparency and accountability that is now plaguing the UK government.
