Monday, November 08, 2021
Groundhog Day on cash for peerages
The latest scandal centres on the alleged abuse of the honours system with the Mirror reporting that the Tories have been accused of giving peerages to donors paying more than £3 million to the party.
They say that a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Open Democracy claims to have found evidence of a new "cash for peerages" scandal, as 16 of the party's main treasurers have reportedly been offered a seat in the Lords over the past 20 years. The only exception is the most recent one, who stood down two months ago:
Since gaining power in 2010, successive Tory Prime Ministers have elevated nine of the party’s former treasurers to the 800-strong chamber, the Sunday Times states.
Each reportedly donated at least £3m to the party.
A number of former Tory ministers have spoken out against the apparent trend, one saying it was a “scandal in plain sight” that was no secret in the party.
One unnamed ex-party chairman told the Sunday Times: “The truth is the entire political establishment knows this happens and they do nothing about it... The most telling line is once you pay your £3 million, you get your peerage.”
Of course none of this is new, nor is the allocation of peerages to major donors unique to the Tory Party. Lloyd George fanously had a price list determining what honour was awarded on the basis of how much money was paid.
They say that a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Open Democracy claims to have found evidence of a new "cash for peerages" scandal, as 16 of the party's main treasurers have reportedly been offered a seat in the Lords over the past 20 years. The only exception is the most recent one, who stood down two months ago:
Since gaining power in 2010, successive Tory Prime Ministers have elevated nine of the party’s former treasurers to the 800-strong chamber, the Sunday Times states.
Each reportedly donated at least £3m to the party.
A number of former Tory ministers have spoken out against the apparent trend, one saying it was a “scandal in plain sight” that was no secret in the party.
One unnamed ex-party chairman told the Sunday Times: “The truth is the entire political establishment knows this happens and they do nothing about it... The most telling line is once you pay your £3 million, you get your peerage.”
Of course none of this is new, nor is the allocation of peerages to major donors unique to the Tory Party. Lloyd George fanously had a price list determining what honour was awarded on the basis of how much money was paid.
And then there is this scandal in 2006, when the Scottish National party MP Angus McNeil complained that four wealthy businessmen, who had lent the Labour party a total of £5m, were nominated by Tony Blair for peerages. All four of the peerages were later blocked by the House of Lords appointments commission.
It just goes to show that there is nothing new in politics, nor is this behaviour limited to any one party. The only way to stop it is to reform the honours system and in particular abolish the appointed second chamber and replace it with a fully elected body.
It just goes to show that there is nothing new in politics, nor is this behaviour limited to any one party. The only way to stop it is to reform the honours system and in particular abolish the appointed second chamber and replace it with a fully elected body.
