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Baroness Scotland Investigated By The Bar Standards Board
By Tory Aardvark
The story of Baroness Scotland and her illegal worker has been running for some time now. The Labour Government have as usual applied the double standards it uses to protect it’s own; ordinary people who fall foul of the Attorney General’s own laws get prosecuted, she has merely made a mistake understanding a law she personally pushed through on to the statue books.
If you need a quick reminder about the story so far click here
Baroness Scotland
The Bar Standards Board is the barrister’s watchdog and is investigating the Baroness following complaints that she brought the profession into disrepute.
There are still a number of unanswered questions regarding the existence of a second passport, paying the illegal worker in cash and now there are allegations of theft from the illegal worker’s home.
Anyone with honour would have resigned by now, but as there is no honour or integrity in Gordon Brown and his morally and intellectually bankrupt government she is the still the Attorney General.
Chris Grayling accuses Brown of attempting to “whitewash” Baroness Scotland’s employment of illegal housekeeper
By Tory Aardvark
This story keeps rumbling ever onwards as Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling has today written to Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson:
“I am writing to you concerning the investigation by the Borders Agency into Baroness Scotland. You will be aware that the investigation was concluded within forty eight hours of the story about her housekeeper first breaking, and that the Agency ruled that she had inadvertently broken the rules for those who employ migrant workers.
“This investigation appears to have been concluded with a speed that is almost unprecedented for such inquiries, and the Agency appears to have reached its conclusion without carrying out a detailed interview with the housekeeper herself. Furthermore the employee’s evidence, as now published in the media, appears to directly contradict that given by Baroness Scotland.
“Given this, it seems extraordinary that the Border Agency appears to have carried out such a cursory inquiry, and reached its conclusions so quickly.
“Can I urge you to reopen the inquiry into Baroness Scotland, and also to carry out a full internal investigation into how this enquiry was handled last week. Can I also ask you to clarify what role Ministers had in the inquiry process, either in setting its remit, in briefings or discussions with Borders Agency officials, or in mandating other Departmental officials to make representations to the Borders Agency about the investigation.
“I am sure that you appreciate the importance of clearing things up and resolving this matter once and for all, but also that the process is thorough and treats Baroness Scotland in exactly the same way as any other employer.”
Chris Grayling Shadow Home Secretary
Previously Chris Grayling has issued this statement:
“This unedifying row just underlines why Baroness Scotland’s position is now completely untenable. But it also raises huge question marks over the way the Home Office and the Prime Minister have handled the case. The Home Office rushed through an investigation without listening to all the evidence, and the Prime Minister exonerated Lady Scotland before the housekeeper had even been questioned. This is increasingly looking like an attempted whitewash that has gone badly wrong.”
You are not alone there Chris, Patricia Scotland is not only above her own laws, she is also protected by the highest echlons of Labour power who WILL stop at nothing to ensure she stays in her job.
The speed at which the rules on peers expenses were U turned is nothing short of amazing.
Today for the first time the resolve to keep defending the Baroness showed the first signs of cracking, with Jack Straw’s last ditch defence of “sexism”, the old and worn out Labour ploy of suffixing a word with “ism” or “ist”.
If indeed there has been a cover up or whitewash then should not those complict in the cover up be brought to account along with the Baroness?
The Baroness, UKBA and the alleged 2nd Passport
By Tory Aardvark
The story continues with news that the passport found at the cleaner’s flat had expired some time before she went to work for the Attorney General, so either the Baroness was shown a second passport, or she never peformed the checks required by the law she piloted on to the statute books.
So far no evidence has been uncovered that supports the Attorney General’s story, which potentially leads to some interesting questions that the UK border agency will want answered.
“Consider the implications: if, as Lolo claims, she did not have a second passport it would mean that for the Baroness to be telling the truth, Lolo would have had to presented her with a false forged passport. Forged passports do not come cheap, demand from drug traffickers, terrorists and other criminals ensures that the black market in passports commands high prices. How would a cleaner applying for a £6 per hour job afford to obtain a forged passport? If Lolo is telling the truth than the Baroness has possibly lied to investigators from the UK Border Agency.” more from Guido
Last week saw the rules on expenses changed to get Patricia Scotland off the hook, can Brown change the law to save her, or will she indeed be toast tomorrow?
Are there no lengths Brown will not go to save Patricia Scotland?
By Tory Aardvark
Once again with an outstanding display of underhand dealing Gordon Brown’s Labour goverment executed one of it’s now infamous U turns to prevent the Attorney General from breaking the rules on expenses. Not only is the Attorney General above her own laws, there is now a dedicated troughers charter for her.
Attorney General is Toast?
“BARONESS SCOTLAND was saved from facing questions about her expenses last week by a swift government U-turn that at a stroke changed its policy on allowances.”
“the Cabinet Office could not have been more clear that Scotland should have received the allowance only if her main home was outside the capital.”
“However, less than 24 hours after the article was published, Baroness Royall, the leader of the Lords, sanctioned a statement by the Cabinet Office which overturned all its previous advice. It said the allowance was available to all lords who serve as ministers, regardless of where they live.”
More from Jonathan Calvert and Claire Newell in the Times Online
There is more to come on the Baroness story later on today…….
Baroness Scotland and the illegal worker – two different stories
By Tory Aardvark
Looks like Max Clifford has found the smoking gun and The Mail online has it on public display.
We still believe the Baroness will be toast on Monday when the Labour Conference starts for real.
The Illegal Worker and The Attorney General
Tomorrow will be much hand wringing and further denials and acts of good faith will be described, but the writing must surely be on the wall now.
Cleaner got job in ten-minute interview with ‘no questions about whether she was eligible to work in the UK’
The Attorney General’s housekeeper ‘didn’t have ANY of the 6 documents that entitled her to work in Britain’
She had already been working here illegally for four years
She was paid just £6 an hour – 33 per cent below the going rate in London and just 27p above the national minimum wage
Full and very detailed story by Simon Walters, Elizabeth Sanderson and Daniel Boffey in The Mail Online
Downing Street are still insisting that the Baroness was vindicated in UK Border Agency Investigation.
Baroness Scotland, The Illegal Worker and Max Clifford
By Tory Aardvark
The legs are definitely picking up speed with the arrival of publicist Max Clifford on the scene, which is likely to be the portent of more very bad news for the Attorney General, Gordon Brown and his devalued and intellectually bankrupt government.
Baroness Scotland and her nemisis
The story goes that Tapui’s agent Max Clifford is negotiating to sell her story to a Sunday Newspaper and that his clients account of events are substantially different to the version of events recounted by the Attorney General.
“If Miss Tapui directly contradicts key elements of Lady Scotland’s version of events, it will make the minister’s position untenable.” from Jason Groves and Dan Newling in The Mail Online
This new scandal for Brown’s beleagured government is already overshadowing the Labour Party Conference, and that’s even before the Sunday Papers hit the streets, what will happen Sunday morning?
Gordon Brown has no one but himself to blame for yet another crisis of his own making. Had the Prime Mentalist acted decisively and shown leadership he would have sacked the Attorney General, but as usual he misjudged the whole situation. Even when the Attorney General’s PPS Stephen Hesford resigned, Brown did nothing but offer support for the Baroness.
Really the only question now is how long will the Attorney General survive?
My money is still on Monday, but Sunday must surely be a possibility
**UPDATE***
Read the LATEST here
Baroness Scotland Aide Stephen Hesford Steps Down
Someone in the Labour Party with honour and integrity, never thought those words would appear in the same sentence.
Baroness Scotland made a trivial mistake
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Wirral West MP Stephen Hesford said: “My decision comes about because as an aide to the Law Officers, whilst I have great personal regard for the Attorney General, I cannot support the decision which allows her to remain in office.” reports Sky News
Stephen Hesford MP
Mr Hesford’s resignation letter reads:
‘Whilst I have great personal regard for the Attorney General, I cannot support the decision which allows her to remain in office.
In my view the facts of the case do not matter. It is the principle which counts, particularly at a time when the publics’ trust of Whitehall is uncertain to say the least.’
It seems the first the Prime Mentalist heard of the resignation was live on Radio 5, nothing like keeping your boss in the loop.
Hesford hurls grenade at Gordon Live on Five says Guido
Tory Aardvark 