Government secretly pays Labour Party legal bills from taxpayers money
"The taxpayer has been forced to pay for the huge legal bill run up by Tony Blair's aides during the cash-for-honours police investigation. MPs expressed anger that a huge bill for private legal advice to Mr Blair's staff, believed to total around £100,000, has been quietly paid by the Government, and not by the Labour Party"...
Bob Marshall-Andrews, Labour MP for Medway and a senior barrister, said: "If this is true it is an extraordinary departure from the normal payment of legal costs out of public funds. This was an entirely justifiable investigation and in such circumstances people who choose to retain legal advice must, under our system, pay for it"...
Opposition MPs accused the Government of misusing taxpayers' money. Norman Baker, the head of the Liberal Democrat accountability unit, said the payment was "an absolute disgrace".
A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
Can you explain how this is secret John? Seems to be public knowledge. Also seems reasonably fair enough. It's work-related, they are employed by the govt, so the govt pays. Presumably same would go for any SpAds employed by the govt on behalf of the other parties.
ReplyDeleteDon't really see why Ruth Turner for instance should pay the legal costs. If anything it should be the philandering trouble maker Angus McTeine.
Some McTeine links.
ReplyDeleteChris: "has been quietly paid by the Government, and not by the Labour Party". Quietly = hush hush = secretly.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it was reasonable firstly because the inquiry was into the Labour Party, and they were on large enough salaries to be denied Legal Aid.