What the media says about me...
"Principled"Kevin Maguire, The Mirror, February 2010
| MP to Force Disclosure of Ashcroft's Promise |
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| Thursday, 25 February 2010 17:08 |
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Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice, is making a further attempt to force the Conservative Vice Chairman, Lord Ashcroft, to reveal the terms of the undertaking he gave 10 years ago as a condition of being elevated to the peerage on the recommendation of the then Conservative leader, William Hague. On Tuesday (2 March) the Commons will return to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill at Report Stage. The MP has tabled a new clause, backed by 77 MPs, which would lay a duty on the House of Lords Appointments Commission to satisfy itself that people who got a peerage after undertaking to do something – such as become a UK taxpayer – actually delivered on their promise. Lord Laidlaw, a former Conservative Vice Chairman, and Lord Ashcroft both gave undertakings relating to their peerages. The MP also wants the House of Lords Appointments Commission to scrutinise any conditions attached to the award of peerages to current members of the Lords by its predecessor body, the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee. Speaking from Westminster, the MP said: "Ashcroft has repeatedly refused to clarify his tax status. He has stonewalled for a decade while bankrolling the Conservatives, giving two fingers to the electorate. His millions are allowing the Conservatives to buy seats at the next election." Note to Editors. The new clause is set out below
CONSIDERATION OF BILL CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM AND GOVERNANCE BILL House of Lords Appointments Commission Mr Gordon Prentice To move the following Clause:— ‘(1) There shall continue to be a House of Lords Appointments Commission ("the Commission"), which shall consist of seven members appointed by the Prime Minister, of whom four (one of whom shall be chairman) shall be independent and three shall be representative of the major political parties. (2) The functions of the Commission are— (a) to make recommendations for non-party-political peerages; (b) to vet nominations for life peerages, including those nominated by the political parties, for propriety. (3) The Commission may attach one or more conditions to any recommendation for a peerage which it may make. (4) In any case where— (a) a condition has been attached to a recommendation, or (b) an undertaking has been given to the Commission by any person recommended for a life peerage, the Commission must take all reasonable steps to satisfy itself that the condition or undertaking has been fulfilled. (5) If the Commission is not so satisfied, it must make a report to the Prime Minister to that effect, together with such recommendations as it considers appropriate; and the Prime Minister must lay a copy of the report before Parliament. (6) Subsections (4) and (5) apply to any requirement made by the former Political Honours Scrutiny Committee in respect of a particular nomination for a life peerage as if that requirement were a condition attached by the Commission, and to any undertaking given to that Committee as if it were an undertaking given to the Commission.’.
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