2010 cash for influence scandal
Encyclopedia
The 2010 cash for influence scandal is a political scandal in the United Kingdom
. In March 2010, Dispatches
, a current affairs
documentary
series on Channel 4
conducted a journalistic sting operation
. The programme recorded Members of Parliament
and the Lords offering to work for a (fictitious) political lobbying
firm for fees of £3,000 to £5,000 per day.
MP, Sir John Butterfill
and Labour Party
MPs Stephen Byers
, Patricia Hewitt
, Geoff Hoon
, Richard Caborn
, Adam Ingram
and Margaret Moran
. The Labour members were all due to stand down at the next general election and all but Moran have been cabinet ministers. Byers had been Transport Secretary (resigned 29 May 2002);Hoon Defence and then Transport Secretary (resigned 5 June 2009); Hewitt Health Secretary (resigned 27 June 2007); Caborn Minister for Sport (Resigned 28 June 2007) and Ingram was Minister of State for the Armed Forces
(Resigned 29 June 2007). In 2009 after criticism surrounding her expense claims the Labour Party had barred Moran from standing again.
Conservative MP Julie Kirkbride
was one of the politicians approached by the fake agency established by the programme, but declined to assist them. It was reported that an unnamed Conservative MP did agree to work for the fake agency.
The bogus firm was named after Marxist historian Perry Anderson
. "The company name—Anderson Perry—was a reversal of the name Perry Anderson."
Insight team and followed up with the Dispatches documentary. Amongst the controversial comments made to the reporter were Geoff Hoon saying he wanted to make "some real money," Margaret Moran boasting she could call on a "girls' gang" of female ministers to help the fictitious company, and Stephen Byers describing himself as "sort of like a cab for hire."
and Lord Adonis in the past to influence outcomes for National Express
and Tesco
. Lord Adonis admitted having private discussions with Byers about it but denied that he had “come to any arrangement”, and Mandelson said he remembered no such discussion or meeting. Byers later withdrew his name for consideration by the fictitious lobbying company via email, claiming he had over-stated his role and wrote "I have not spoken to Andrew Adonis or Peter Mandelson about the matters I mentioned." When the story broke, National Express and Tesco also denied there was any truth in Byers' statements.
MP Sir John Butterfill
was also implicated and offered to lobby to benefit the fictitious company and use his political connections for a payment of £35000 a year. Butterfill was also seen on the programme saying that it was likely that he would be made a peer
and go to the House of Lords
, the following day the leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron said, "I can tell you that is not going to happen."
In the interview he went on to state that
and further argued that
said he was "appalled" and Chancellor Alistair Darling
said it was "ridiculous". Norman Baker
, of the Liberal Democrats, will be referring the matter to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
. The leader of the Opposition, David Cameron
, described the matter as "shocking" and called for an inquiry. Stephen Byers referred himself to the parliamentary commissioner for standards.
On 22 March 2010 it was announced that Patricia Hewitt, Geoff Hoon, Margaret Moran and Stephen Byers had been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party. Geoff Hoon told the BBC
that Gordon Brown
had told him he would no longer be performing unpaid work with NATO on behalf of the government. Meanwhile, David Cameron launched a call for a full inquiry.
On 9 December 2010, Geoff Hoon
along with Stephen Byers
and Richard Caborn
were banned from parliament, the Standards and Privileges Committee banned Geoff Hoon for a minimum five years as his was the most serious breach, whilst Byers received two years and Caborn six months.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In March 2010, Dispatches
Dispatches (TV series)
Dispatches is the British television current affairs documentary series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment, usually featuring a mole in an organisation.-Awards:*...
, a current affairs
Current affairs (news format)
Current Affairs is a genre of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or are ongoing at the time of broadcast....
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
series on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
conducted a journalistic sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
. The programme recorded Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and the Lords offering to work for a (fictitious) political lobbying
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
firm for fees of £3,000 to £5,000 per day.
Background
Twenty politicians were approached by the documentary: fifteen agreed to meet, ten arranged meetings, and of those ten, nine were secretly filmed. These nine included the ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP, Sir John Butterfill
John Butterfill
Sir John Valentine Butterfill FRICS is a British politician. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Bournemouth West from 1983 until he stood down at the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
and Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MPs Stephen Byers
Stephen Byers
Stephen John Byers is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for North Tyneside from 1997 to 2010; in the previous parliament, from 1992, he represented Wallsend...
, Patricia Hewitt
Patricia Hewitt
Patricia Hope Hewitt is an Australian-born British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Leicester West from 1997 until 2010. She served in the Cabinet until 2007, most recently as Health Secretary....
, Geoff Hoon
Geoff Hoon
Geoffrey "Geoff" William Hoon is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ashfield from 1992 to 2010...
, Richard Caborn
Richard Caborn
Richard George Caborn PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central from 1983 to 2010...
, Adam Ingram
Adam Ingram (Labour politician)
Adam Paterson Ingram is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow from 1987 to 2010.-Early life:...
and Margaret Moran
Margaret Moran
Margaret Moran is a former Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. She was the Member of Parliament for Luton South from 1997 to 2010....
. The Labour members were all due to stand down at the next general election and all but Moran have been cabinet ministers. Byers had been Transport Secretary (resigned 29 May 2002);Hoon Defence and then Transport Secretary (resigned 5 June 2009); Hewitt Health Secretary (resigned 27 June 2007); Caborn Minister for Sport (Resigned 28 June 2007) and Ingram was Minister of State for the Armed Forces
Minister of State for the Armed Forces
The Minister of State for the Armed Forces is a middle-ranking ministerial position, subordinate only to the Secretary of State for Defence, at the Ministry of Defence in Her Majesty's Government....
(Resigned 29 June 2007). In 2009 after criticism surrounding her expense claims the Labour Party had barred Moran from standing again.
Conservative MP Julie Kirkbride
Julie Kirkbride
Julie Kirkbride is a British former politician. She was the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Conservative stronghold of Bromsgrove from 1997 until 2010-Early life:...
was one of the politicians approached by the fake agency established by the programme, but declined to assist them. It was reported that an unnamed Conservative MP did agree to work for the fake agency.
The bogus firm was named after Marxist historian Perry Anderson
Perry Anderson
Perry Anderson is a British Leftist intellectual, historian, and political essayist. He is often identified with the post-1956 Western Marxism of the New Left in Europe. He is Professor of History and Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles and an editor of the New Left Review. He...
. "The company name—Anderson Perry—was a reversal of the name Perry Anderson."
False interviews
Members of Parliament were invited to an interview by an undercover reporter claiming to be the director of a company hoping to influence policy. They were met and secretly recorded. The story was broken by The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
Insight team and followed up with the Dispatches documentary. Amongst the controversial comments made to the reporter were Geoff Hoon saying he wanted to make "some real money," Margaret Moran boasting she could call on a "girls' gang" of female ministers to help the fictitious company, and Stephen Byers describing himself as "sort of like a cab for hire."
Byers' interview
Byers made claims of having influenced government policy in the past for money. He claimed to have spoken with Peter MandelsonPeter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
and Lord Adonis in the past to influence outcomes for National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
and Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
. Lord Adonis admitted having private discussions with Byers about it but denied that he had “come to any arrangement”, and Mandelson said he remembered no such discussion or meeting. Byers later withdrew his name for consideration by the fictitious lobbying company via email, claiming he had over-stated his role and wrote "I have not spoken to Andrew Adonis or Peter Mandelson about the matters I mentioned." When the story broke, National Express and Tesco also denied there was any truth in Byers' statements.
Butterfill's Interview
ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Sir John Butterfill
John Butterfill
Sir John Valentine Butterfill FRICS is a British politician. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Bournemouth West from 1983 until he stood down at the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
was also implicated and offered to lobby to benefit the fictitious company and use his political connections for a payment of £35000 a year. Butterfill was also seen on the programme saying that it was likely that he would be made a peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
and go to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, the following day the leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron said, "I can tell you that is not going to happen."
Hoon's Interview
Geoff Hoon was interviewed shortly after a trip to Washington where he had undertaken- Three days of Nato work then a couple of days of Hoon work.
In the interview he went on to state that
- One of the challenges I think I am really looking forward to is sort of translating my knowledge and contacts about sort of international scene into something that bluntly makes money
and further argued that
- There will be opportunities for American companies in particular to look around at some (em) vulnerable European companies because those companies will become vulnerable as their own governments cut back on defence spending. I foresee, its one reason why I’m talking to American private equity firms, I foresee a period where we may well see American companies in effect, buying market share in Europe because they will be buying up national champions who are not getting the support they need to, to continue.
Political response
Foreign Secretary David MilibandDavid Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
said he was "appalled" and Chancellor Alistair Darling
Alistair Darling
Alistair Maclean Darling is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been a Member of Parliament since 1987, currently for Edinburgh South West. He served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2007 to 2010...
said it was "ridiculous". Norman Baker
Norman Baker
Norman John Baker is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Lewes in East Sussex since 1997. Since May 2010 he has been Parliamentary Under Secretary for the Department for Transport....
, of the Liberal Democrats, will be referring the matter to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is an officer of the British House of Commons.He or she is appointed by a Resolution of the House of Commons and works a four-day week.- Tasks :...
. The leader of the Opposition, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, described the matter as "shocking" and called for an inquiry. Stephen Byers referred himself to the parliamentary commissioner for standards.
On 22 March 2010 it was announced that Patricia Hewitt, Geoff Hoon, Margaret Moran and Stephen Byers had been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party. Geoff Hoon told the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
that Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
had told him he would no longer be performing unpaid work with NATO on behalf of the government. Meanwhile, David Cameron launched a call for a full inquiry.
On 9 December 2010, Geoff Hoon
Geoff Hoon
Geoffrey "Geoff" William Hoon is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ashfield from 1992 to 2010...
along with Stephen Byers
Stephen Byers
Stephen John Byers is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for North Tyneside from 1997 to 2010; in the previous parliament, from 1992, he represented Wallsend...
and Richard Caborn
Richard Caborn
Richard George Caborn PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central from 1983 to 2010...
were banned from parliament, the Standards and Privileges Committee banned Geoff Hoon for a minimum five years as his was the most serious breach, whilst Byers received two years and Caborn six months.