EXC w/@TomCalver2: Wealthy areas are avoiding lockdown despite having higher COVID-19 rate than poorer areas under measures
This is warning of public health director for one of Lancashire's biggest councils in leaked memo to govt
Risks "double whammy" of Covid & more inequality
Eg. Rishi Sunak and Robert Jenrick's seats are not currently subject to lockdown measures
However, they have higher coronavirus infection rates than areas that are
This is consequence of a lack of standardisation. There is no cases threshold beyond which measures are imposed
@SteveReedMP: "We're at a critical stage in our fight against this virus. It is crucial the public have maximum confidence in the decision-making process. That can only happen with far greater transparency from Whitehall and council leaders in the room when decisions are taken"
More in tomorrow's ST
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WORLD EXCLUSIVE 🚨 The leader of Bangladesh says Tulip Siddiq must apologise for using property gifted by "corrupt" regime
He calls for homes to be investigated and returned in cases of "plain robbery" (1/5) thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar…
It comes as we reveal MP lived in Hampstead home bought by offshore firm named in Panama Papers
Pedrok Ventures funded by trust owned by Bangladeshi businessmen
Pedrok gifted it to regime-linked lawyer, who in turn gave it to family of Siddiq, who lived there for years (2/5)
Muhammad Yunus, former Nobel Peace Prize winner and interim leader of Bangladesh, also rebuked Shayan Rahman, billionaire's son who bought Siddiq's mothers home via off-shore trust
In 2021, we revealed the King secretly gave a CBE to a Saudi donor who paid millions in a deal brokered by royal aides
Paying for an honour is a crime
But The Met covered up the scandal, never investigating properly or speaking to the men at its heart—Charles and the Saudi
1/5
Despite Charles repeatedly secretly meeting the Saudi in a years long courtship across three countries, including on official visits, he has never had to answer any questions.
Michael Fawcett, his right hand man, took the blame, leaving as chief executive of his foundation.
2/5
Its chairman quit too and several trustees. But its own internal inquiry was never published and countless questions remain about Charles’s ties to the Saudi and his role in a web of suspicious deals and payments.
3/5
EXCLUSIVE: Jeremy Hunt’s re-election campaign and CCHQ have accepted tens of thousands from a dormant shell company with undisclosed ties to a Mayfair private equity fund
The Tory Treasurer's department initially rejected donations from "Ironduke Management", fearing it broke Electoral Commission rules, then U-turned
Here's the story🧵
Ironduke Management is registered at 10 Piccadilly , but has no physical premises or website or phone number.
The sole director and shareholder is a woman called Jennifer Dowling. It's actually run by her husband, Tom Dowling, who describes himself as a tax consultant
Since its creation in 2018, it has registered itself as a dormant company.
It is currently the subject of a final notice from Companies House to file its accounts.
If it fails to do so, it will be forcibly dissolved in May.
Its last accounts said it had £1 in cash and assets and described the firm’s activity as “financial intermediation”.
Maynard has been ordered to repay cash used to rent state-of-the-art printer and produce Tory leaflets.
He's made another repayment after claiming his party did not use his taxpayer funded office when it did.
And his abuse of the rules has led the IPSA investigator to propose all MPs are banned from using their offices for party purposes in any context.
Damning findings do not find wrongdoing over Maynard's extraordinary £106,000 total claims for printing - top of any Tory MP - as "comprehensive audit" impossible due to "resource constrains"
But two breaches are clear and admitted by MP, leaving him exposed to referral to standards commissioner.