Geoffrey Cox news live: Boris Johnson insists UK ‘not remotely corrupt’
Related video: Geoffrey Cox accused of working second job from Commons office
Tory MPs have been accused of raking in more than £1m in consultancy fees as pressure builds on Boris Johnson over Westminster “sleaze”, with the former attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox at the centre of the row over his work for the British Virgin Islands.
Labour published an analysis overnight showing Conservative MPs received more than £1.7m in consultancy fees since the start of the year, with one in seven taking money from outside interests. Anneliese Dodds, the Labour Party chairwoman, said it showed there was “something rotten” at the heart of the Tory Party.
The prime minister has insisted that Britain is not “remotely a corrupt country”. His remarks on Wednesday followed the decision last week to order his MPs to prevent Owen Paterson’s suspension for breaking lobbying rules by creating a Tory-dominated committee – a move that provoked outrage at Westminster.
Row over ‘drunk MPs’ claims during Gibraltar trip
Two SNP MPs have denied “drinking heavily” on an Armistice Day visit to Gibraltar, calling the claims a “bizarre Tory smear campaign”.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace said on Wednesday he would complain to both the SNP and Labour about alleged behaviour by MPs from the parties before and during a flight to the Overseas British Territory on Tuesday.
Mr Wallace said claims about the conduct of two SNP MPs – named as David Linden and Drew Hendry – and a Labour MP showed “a lack of respect for the enduring work of our armed forces” and risked “undermining respect for parliament”.
A report in The Telegraph suggested the MPs, part of a 15-strong all-parliamentary delegation on the trip, had been “drinking heavily” during the flight to Gibraltar.
Read the full report here:
Tom Batchelor11 November 2021 09:10
Government must ‘do better’ amid sleaze allegations, says Rishi Sunak
Ministers must “do better”, the chancellor has said, amid ongoing sleaze allegations.
Speaking to Sky News, Rishi Sunak said: “Reflecting over recent events, I think for us as a government, it’s fair to say that we need to do better than we did last week and we know that.”
Asked about the level of pay for MPs, and whether that justified their search for extra work, Mr Sunak said: “I think people will have different motivations for doing what they do. The pay is set by an independent body. That’s absolutely right.
“And with regard to second jobs, there’s an independent process that we have that is set by parliament that governs all of those things and it’s absolutely right that process is followed to the letter.”
Tom Batchelor11 November 2021 09:01
Supply chain problems slow UK growth, figures show
UK economic growth slowed sharply over the summer as supply chain problems hampered the UK’s post-Covid recovery, official figures show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy expanded by 1.3 per cent between July and September, down from growth of 5.5 per cent in the previous three months.
The ONS said growth picked up in September to a…
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