I have demanded an investigation into @michaelgove breaking the Ministerial Code by misleading Parliament following a judge ruling that the Cabinet Office misled a court.
The Ministerial Code is clear that Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament are expected to resign. (1/9)
After a 3 year legal battle the government lost a significant legal case regarding a secretive "Clearing House" in the Cabinet Office which handles FOI requests.
The judge in the case ruled that the Cabinet Office's case & defence was "misleading". (2/9)
However, in December 2020 @michaelgove told Parliament that: "the idea that there is a secret clearing house... is... not correct".
This statement has just been proven to be untrue by the court judgement, so Michael Gove misled Parliament, either knowingly or unknowingly. (3/9)
.@michaelgove also denied that "any sort of blacklist" exists, saying that "all freedom of information requests are treated in exactly the same way".
This contradicts evidence that the 'Clearing House' has acted to withhold information and requests are treated differently. (4/9)
For eg @openDemocracy revealed that the 'Clearing House' blocked a campaigner whose father died of HIV from accessing information about the infected blood scandal.
Emails also show requests from journalists being 'flagged' and treated differenly. (5/9)
More information here on the 'Clearing House', with departments referring certain FOI requests from journalists and campaigners to it, and requests from some journalists being treated differently - contradicting what @michaelgove told Parliament. (6/9)
As the court ruled, because of the lack of transparency about the 'Clearing House', we do not know the truth about how it operates, and therefore whether @michaelgove misled Parliament for a second time when he said "all FOI requests are treated in exactly the same way". (7/9)
However the truth will be revealed in the documents that the judge in this case ruled must now be released.
That is why we need an investigation, including these documents that a court has ruled must be published, to find out whether @michaelgove misled Parliament twice. (8/9)
Rules matter and standards matter. We can't have Ministers going around misleading Parliament and not telling the truth.
A court has already found that @michaelgove misled Parliament once, and potentially twice. So let's have the truth. (9/9)
THREAD: I have written to Lord Geidt today following the publication of the Register of Ministers' Interests and his report clearing the Prime Minister of wrongdoing. There are serious issues that must be addressed urgently, and unanswered questions that must be answered. (1/11)
Firstly, Lord Geidt must publish all details, payments and correspondence regarding the refurbishment of the Prime Minister’s flat, which we now know was paid for by a Tory donor. Lord Geidt confirms "an interest did arise" but this interest has not been declared. Why not? (2/11)
The public simply will not have faith in the system of registering and declaring ministerial interests when these interests, debts and payments have still not been declared. Lord Geidt indicates this interest has not been published because it is "no longer current". (3/11)
I came in to politics as a shop steward standing up for care workers on the minimum wage.
In my new roles I will focus on the future of work and the future of our economy, working with our trade union movement to deliver good, well-paid jobs in every region and every community.
I will take the fight to the Tories on their dodgy contracts and sleaze. And I will set out Labour's policy to replace Tory cronyism and cash for mates with an insourcing revolution so that public services are delivered in the public interest, not for private profit.
I will work tirelessly to reform our Party and deliver a policy agenda that will enable us to reconnect with the voters that we need to win, especially in our traditional heartlands, and show that the Labour Party speaks for the working class. That is our founding mission.
1/ We are facing a second wave and the prospect of further restrictions and a national lockdown as a result of the government’s failure and incompetence.
2/ Infections are rising, the testing system is collapsing and the government has lost control of the virus because they have failed to deliver an effective test, track and trace system.
3/ We have been here before. This is the time for swift, decisive action, and that action must be clearly communicated to the British people. With lives and livelihoods on the line we cannot afford to be too slow again.