Cash for Questions Scandal Deepens as Pressure Mounts on Prime Minister

Strategic Insights -

The cash for questions scandal deepened on Saturday as senior Conservatives, including two former leaders of the Commons, urged Prime Minister John Major to abandon his attempt to confine the issue to a Privileges Committee inquiry. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Liberal Democrat MP Alex Carlile asked for clarification on whether the Government would pay for any legal proceedings taken out by MPs or ministers against the press. The row is further complicated by revelations that lobbyist Ian Greer, who is at the center of the scandal, had involved Corporate Affairs Minister Neil Hamilton in meetings with a bogus company trying to buy parts of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Prime Minister faced increasing pressure from senior Conservatives to abandon the attempt to confine the issue to a Privileges Committee inquiry.
  • Support for Neil Hamilton appeared to ebb away after Cabinet minister David Hunt implicitly condemned his behavior, and two former ministers called on him to quit at least for the duration of any libel action.
  • Liberal Democrat MP Alex Carlile asked the Prime Minister for clarification on whether the Government would pay for any legal proceedings taken out by MPs or ministers against the press.
  • The row is further complicated by revelations that lobbyist Ian Greer, who is at the center of the scandal, had involved Corporate Affairs Minister Neil Hamilton in meetings with a bogus company trying to buy parts of the Department of Trade and Industry.
  • Former leaders of the Commons, including Lord Howe and John Biffen, urged the Prime Minister to acknowledge the depth of concern at the corrosion of MPs' standards and establish an independent inquiry into the future of relations between MPs and the private sector.
  • Lobbyist Ian Greer negotiated a £10,000 fee for research work and organizing meetings with him.
  • The issue of lobbying MPs was further called into question when it emerged that Mr. Hamilton did not register his six-day stay at the Ritz in 1987 as a benefit in kind that needed to be registered under the disclosure rules.

Statistics:

  • £10,000: the fee negotiated by lobbyist Ian Greer for research work and organizing meetings with him.
  • 1987: the year Corporate Affairs Minister Neil Hamilton took a six-day stay at the Ritz without registering it as a benefit in kind.

Sources:

  • The article cites The Mail on Sunday for a quote from Lord Howe.
  • The BBC On the Record programme is cited for an quote from David Hunt.
  • The article quotes Liberal Democrat MP Alex Carlile for his letter to the Prime Minister.
  • Lobbyist Ian Greer's activities are mentioned as a point of interest in the scandal.