I know exactly what you mean at work. I can think of a few that fit the profile you describe...
Off Topic The Politics Thread
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I know exactly what you mean at work. I can think of a few that fit the profile you describe...
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Well, if you are going to compare them to each other…..Sunak (via his wife) has the odd £750m hanging round, Javid has a net worth of £8m according to Forbes and Johnson ‘earned’ £829,000 the year before he became PM through having opinions for money (aka journalism), royalties from derivative books and ill prepared public speaking for money. Compared to the average Briton I suspect all three would be classified as rich. Johnson can’t manage money, so we reward him by making him PM, like letting the disabled kid win a race at sports day. But with rather more far reaching consequences.
Johnson's child maintenance bills must be crippling. He'll make good money for his memoirs and as an after dinner speaker mind. He must be the poorest of all three surely.
Standstill? I think they call it clogged over there.
Rishi Sunak's and Sajid Javid's resignation letters in full
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, and the Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, have resigned from Boris Johnson's government. Here are their letters of resignation.
Sajid Javid's resignation letter
Prime Minister,
It was a privilege to have been asked to come back into Government to serve as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care at such a critical time for our country. I have given every ounce of energy to this task, and am incredibly proud of what we have achieved.
The UK has led the world in learning to live with Covid. Thanks to the amazing rollout of our booster programme, investment in treatments, and innovations in the way we deliver healthcare, the British people have enjoyed months more freedom than other comparable countries.
We have also made important strides in the recovery and reform of the NHS and adult social care. The longest waiters are down by 70% and, as you know, I have been working hard on wider modernisation of the NHS. I have also developed radical new approaches to dementia, cancer and mental health, and prepared the Health Disparities White Paper which will set out plans to level up health outcomes for communities that have been left behind for too long.
Given the unprecedented scale of the challenges in health and social care, it has been my instinct to continue focusing on this important work. So it is with enormous regret that I must tell you that I can no longer, in good conscience, continue serving in this Government, I am instinctively a team player but the British people also rightly expect integrity from their Government.
The tone you set as leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party, and ultimately the country. Conservatives at their best are seen as hard-headed decision-makers, guided by strong values. We may not always have been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest. Sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are neither. The vote of confidence last month showed that a large number of our colleagues agree. It was a moment for humility, grip and new direction. I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership - and you have therefore lost my confidence too.
It is three years since you entered Downing Street. You will forever be credited with seeing off the threat of Corbynism, and breaking the deadlock on Brexit. You have shone a very welcome light on the regional disparities on our country, an agenda that will continue to define our politics. These are commendable legacies in unprecedented times. But the country needs a strong and principled Conservative Party, and the Party is bigger than any one individual. I served you loyally and as a friend, but we all serve the country first. When made to choose between those loyalties there can only be one answer.
Finally, I would like to put on record my thanks to ministerial and departmental colleagues, my admiration for NHS and social care staff, and my love for my family who have been immensely patient in these challenging times.
Yours ever,
S Javid
Rishi Sunak's resignation letter
Dear Prime Minister,
It is with deep sadness that I am writing to you to resign from the Government.
It has been an enormous privilege to serve our country as Chancellor of the Exchequer and I will always be proud of how during the pandemic we protected people's jobs and businesses through actions such as furlough.
To leave ministerial office is a serious matter at any time. For me to step down as Chancellor while the world is suffering the economic consequences of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other serious challenges is a decision that I have not taken lightly.
However, the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.
I have been loyal to you. I backed you to become Leader of our Party and encouraged others to do so. I have served as your Chancellor with gratitude that you entrusted me with stewardship of the nation's economy and finances. Above all, I have respected the powerful mandate given to you by the British people in 2019 and how under your leadership we broke the Brexit deadlock.
That is why I have always tried to compromise in order to deliver the things you want to achieve. On those occasions where I disagreed with you privately, I have supported you publicly. That is the nature of the collective government upon which our system relies and it is particularly important that the Prime Minister and Chancellor remain united in hard times such as those we are experiencing today.
Our country is facing immense challenges. We both want a low-tax, high-growth economy, and world class public services, but this can only be responsibly delivered if we are prepared to work hard, make sacrifices and take difficult decisions.
I firmly believe the public are ready to hear that truth. Our people know that if something is too good to be true then it's not true. They need to know that whilst there is a path to a better future, it is not an easy one. In preparation for our proposed joint speech on the economy next week, it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different.
I am sad to be leaving Government but I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we cannot continue like this.
Kind regards,
Rishi Sunak
- Published
1 hour ago
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, and the Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, have resigned from Boris Johnson's government. Here are their letters of resignation.
Sajid Javid's resignation letter
Prime Minister,
It was a privilege to have been asked to come back into Government to serve as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care at such a critical time for our country. I have given every ounce of energy to this task, and am incredibly proud of what we have achieved.
The UK has led the world in learning to live with Covid. Thanks to the amazing rollout of our booster programme, investment in treatments, and innovations in the way we deliver healthcare, the British people have enjoyed months more freedom than other comparable countries.
We have also made important strides in the recovery and reform of the NHS and adult social care. The longest waiters are down by 70% and, as you know, I have been working hard on wider modernisation of the NHS. I have also developed radical new approaches to dementia, cancer and mental health, and prepared the Health Disparities White Paper which will set out plans to level up health outcomes for communities that have been left behind for too long.
Given the unprecedented scale of the challenges in health and social care, it has been my instinct to continue focusing on this important work. So it is with enormous regret that I must tell you that I can no longer, in good conscience, continue serving in this Government, I am instinctively a team player but the British people also rightly expect integrity from their Government.
The tone you set as leader, and the values you represent, reflect on your colleagues, your party, and ultimately the country. Conservatives at their best are seen as hard-headed decision-makers, guided by strong values. We may not always have been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest. Sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are neither. The vote of confidence last month showed that a large number of our colleagues agree. It was a moment for humility, grip and new direction. I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership - and you have therefore lost my confidence too.
It is three years since you entered Downing Street. You will forever be credited with seeing off the threat of Corbynism, and breaking the deadlock on Brexit. You have shone a very welcome light on the regional disparities on our country, an agenda that will continue to define our politics. These are commendable legacies in unprecedented times. But the country needs a strong and principled Conservative Party, and the Party is bigger than any one individual. I served you loyally and as a friend, but we all serve the country first. When made to choose between those loyalties there can only be one answer.
Finally, I would like to put on record my thanks to ministerial and departmental colleagues, my admiration for NHS and social care staff, and my love for my family who have been immensely patient in these challenging times.
Yours ever,
S Javid
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Rishi Sunak's resignation letter
Dear Prime Minister,
It is with deep sadness that I am writing to you to resign from the Government.
It has been an enormous privilege to serve our country as Chancellor of the Exchequer and I will always be proud of how during the pandemic we protected people's jobs and businesses through actions such as furlough.
To leave ministerial office is a serious matter at any time. For me to step down as Chancellor while the world is suffering the economic consequences of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other serious challenges is a decision that I have not taken lightly.
However, the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.
I have been loyal to you. I backed you to become Leader of our Party and encouraged others to do so. I have served as your Chancellor with gratitude that you entrusted me with stewardship of the nation's economy and finances. Above all, I have respected the powerful mandate given to you by the British people in 2019 and how under your leadership we broke the Brexit deadlock.
That is why I have always tried to compromise in order to deliver the things you want to achieve. On those occasions where I disagreed with you privately, I have supported you publicly. That is the nature of the collective government upon which our system relies and it is particularly important that the Prime Minister and Chancellor remain united in hard times such as those we are experiencing today.
Our country is facing immense challenges. We both want a low-tax, high-growth economy, and world class public services, but this can only be responsibly delivered if we are prepared to work hard, make sacrifices and take difficult decisions.
I firmly believe the public are ready to hear that truth. Our people know that if something is too good to be true then it's not true. They need to know that whilst there is a path to a better future, it is not an easy one. In preparation for our proposed joint speech on the economy next week, it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different.
I am sad to be leaving Government but I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we cannot continue like this.
Kind regards,
Rishi Sunak
Not right...all 3 are rich.
All 3 are very rich compared to the standard population of this country
Rumour on GBNews Nadhim Zahawi has said he will resign unless he gets the chancellorship
Boris wanted Dorries.
We will see when the shuffle happens
Boris wanted Dorries.
We will see when the shuffle happens
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GB news seem to have got it right.
Just putting this up early..do Boris can have time to remember it before he has to...
late January 2018, it was reported in the media that Zahawi was one of the attendees at a men-only dinner event organised by the Presidents Club at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Media reports alleged that female hostesses were subjected to sexual harassment and incidents of groping and inappropriate touch.
He said he left early but was reprimanded and May (PM at the time) was appalled
Discussed this before, it is always good to hear alternative news..and tonight, it was best place to get continuous newsDidn't imagine you as a GBNews viewer
another rich mp
do you have to be poor
sucked over half a million out of the trough in 2017
2. Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative): £534,696, mainly from being Chief Strategy Officer for an oil company
Nadhim Zahawi MP
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) license from UK Parliament.
Constituency:Stratford-upon-Avon
Income sources:
• Non-executive Director of SThree, an international specialist recruitment business
• Chief Strategy Officer for Gulf Keystone Petroleum, an oil company that operates in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
do you have to be poor
sucked over half a million out of the trough in 2017
2. Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative): £534,696, mainly from being Chief Strategy Officer for an oil company
You must log in or register to see images
Nadhim Zahawi MP
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) license from UK Parliament.
Constituency:Stratford-upon-Avon
Income sources:
• Non-executive Director of SThree, an international specialist recruitment business
• Chief Strategy Officer for Gulf Keystone Petroleum, an oil company that operates in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
not bad
Nadhim Zahawi’s £100m property empire revealed, Labour demands probe…
August 5, 2021 by Editorial Staff in Corruption, Kurds Worldwide, Oil & Gas, Politics, UK
Nadhim Zahawi, millionaire British-Kurdish minister, 2021. Photo: mirror.co.uk
Britain’s Labour demands probe into whether Nadhim Zahawi broke code over £100 million empire
LONDON,— Kurdish-British Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi, his wife and their companies have a portfolio including seven properties that were bought for more than £10m mortgage-free, while two more were part-funded by £10m of loans from Mr Zahawi’s wife Lana, The Daily Mirror reported in July 2021.
More than half of it, which includes a country pile with stables, a £20m London townhouse, a string of high street properties and an industrial estate, were bought while Mr Zahawi has served as a government minister.
Seven properties bought for more than £10m are mortgage-free, while two more were part-funded by £10m of loans from Mr Zahawi’s wife Lana.
Our probe raises questions about Mr Zahawi’s declaration of interests.
On the day he became a minister in 2018, he quit as a director of investment and consultancy firm Zahawi & Zahawi Limited, and transferred his 50% shareholding to his wife.
Meanwhile she applied to Companies House to change her name on company documents back to her maiden name. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing in relation to this.
Mr Zahawi only names one of her three property firms in his register of interests and is not required to identify individual property investments. There is no suggestion he has breached the Ministerial Code.
The Mirror has found one of Mrs Zahawi’s firms purchased the £3.5m Chunnel industrial estate in Ashford, Kent, by the Eurotunnel train station. It was bought mortgage-free days before the Government secured the trade deal with the EU in December.
Mr Zahawi, 54, had played a leading role in preparing business for Brexit.
Sir Alastair Graham, the former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said: “In my view, this falls far short of the standards of transparency we expect of ministers.
“It is a potential conflict of interest and should have been fully declared.
“While Mr Zahawi was closely involved in Brexit preparations, Mrs Zahawi was buying an industrial estate close to the Channel Tunnel. Is it likely they didn’t discuss it?
“Mr Zahawi needs to explain how he dealt with this potential conflict of interest. He may not have broken the letter of the rules but appears to have fallen short of the spirit of the code.”
Mr Zahawi, also Business Minister, did not respond to our queries about this investment or his family’s financial affairs.
The Ministerial Code says ministers must “scrupulously avoid any danger of an actual or perceived conflict of interest between their ministerial position and private financial interests”.
The Zahawis personally own five residential properties worth at least £17m – three in London, one in Warwickshire and one in Dubai.
Documents show their constituency home near Warwick, a country house and stable block bought for £875,000 in 2011, was purchased with a loan from offshore company
Berkford Investments.
It is not known who owns Berkford but it is based in the same office as another firm controlled by Mr Zahawi’s dad. Mr Zahawi has said: “I have no involvement with any decision-making process by Berkford Investments.” In the past six years, companies set up by the Zahawis have spent more than £80m on commercial properties.
Most were purchased by Zahawi & Zahawi Limited, the company Mr Zahawi set up with his wife five weeks after he became an MP in 2010.
Since Mr Zahawi was appointed Children’s Minister in 2018, Mrs Zahawi has set up two further companies and continued to buy property.
In the latest list of ministers’ interests, published in May, Mr Zahawi declares his wife “is Director of several limited companies, including Zahawi & Zahawi Ltd, which own commercial and retail property”. The individual firms and properties are not named.
Sir Alastair said Mr Zahawi should have declared all his wife’s firms, adding: “It is another example of the careless way ministers of this government view rules relating to transparency.
“How are we to perceive a conflict of interest if we don’t know where the Zahawis are investing these vast sums? Ministers are expected to show leadership in applying the seven principles of public life. This looks like a total failure of leadership.” In 2000, Mr Zahawi started polling firm YouGov. He only ever held a tiny shareholding.
Instead, 10% of YouGov plc was held by Balshore Investments, run by his dad. It sold YouGov shares for up to £1.5m between 2013 and 2014.
It may have got up to £40m when the remaining shares were sold later.
Tory Mr Zahawi was chief strategy officer for oil firm Gulf Keystone between 2015 and 2017. His monthly salary there rose to £29,000 and his bonuses included one of £253,000.
Labour demands probe into whether Zahawi broke code over £100million empire
Labour’s chair Anneliese Dodds says the PM and the Cabinet ‘treat the Ministerial Code with contempt’ after we revealed a company owned by Nadhim Zahawi’s wife bought the £3.5m Chunnel industrial estate near the Eurotunnel, The Daily Mirror reported in July 2021.
Labour is calling for a probe into whether Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi fully declared details of his family’s £100m property empire as required by the Ministerial Code.
An ex-chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Sir Alastair Graham, said it is a “potential conflict of interest and should have been fully declared”.
Labour ’s chair Anneliese Dodds has now told the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on ministers’ interests: “These reports raise serious questions about whether there was a conflict of interest between Mr Zahawi’s duties to the Government and his private financial interests.”
She has asked for a probe into “whether [he] broke the Ministerial Code by failing to declare these interests appropriately”.
She told the Mirror the PM and the Cabinet “treat the Ministerial Code with contempt”.
Mr Zahawi, who did not respond to Mirror questions about his wife’s companies, transferred his stake in one of them, Zahawi & Zahawi Ltd, in 2018 when he became a minister.
The Mirror found the couple’s property portfolio included £50m in commercial property bought since that time.
His published declaration of ministers’ interests says his wife is “director of several limited companies, including Zahawi & Zahawi Ltd, which own… property”.
It does not name the other firms.
Nadhim Zahawi’s £100m property empire revealed, Labour demands probe…
August 5, 2021 by Editorial Staff in Corruption, Kurds Worldwide, Oil & Gas, Politics, UK
You must log in or register to see images
Nadhim Zahawi, millionaire British-Kurdish minister, 2021. Photo: mirror.co.uk
Britain’s Labour demands probe into whether Nadhim Zahawi broke code over £100 million empire
LONDON,— Kurdish-British Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi, his wife and their companies have a portfolio including seven properties that were bought for more than £10m mortgage-free, while two more were part-funded by £10m of loans from Mr Zahawi’s wife Lana, The Daily Mirror reported in July 2021.
More than half of it, which includes a country pile with stables, a £20m London townhouse, a string of high street properties and an industrial estate, were bought while Mr Zahawi has served as a government minister.
Seven properties bought for more than £10m are mortgage-free, while two more were part-funded by £10m of loans from Mr Zahawi’s wife Lana.
Our probe raises questions about Mr Zahawi’s declaration of interests.
On the day he became a minister in 2018, he quit as a director of investment and consultancy firm Zahawi & Zahawi Limited, and transferred his 50% shareholding to his wife.
Meanwhile she applied to Companies House to change her name on company documents back to her maiden name. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing in relation to this.
Mr Zahawi only names one of her three property firms in his register of interests and is not required to identify individual property investments. There is no suggestion he has breached the Ministerial Code.
The Mirror has found one of Mrs Zahawi’s firms purchased the £3.5m Chunnel industrial estate in Ashford, Kent, by the Eurotunnel train station. It was bought mortgage-free days before the Government secured the trade deal with the EU in December.
Mr Zahawi, 54, had played a leading role in preparing business for Brexit.
Sir Alastair Graham, the former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said: “In my view, this falls far short of the standards of transparency we expect of ministers.
“It is a potential conflict of interest and should have been fully declared.
“While Mr Zahawi was closely involved in Brexit preparations, Mrs Zahawi was buying an industrial estate close to the Channel Tunnel. Is it likely they didn’t discuss it?
“Mr Zahawi needs to explain how he dealt with this potential conflict of interest. He may not have broken the letter of the rules but appears to have fallen short of the spirit of the code.”
Mr Zahawi, also Business Minister, did not respond to our queries about this investment or his family’s financial affairs.
The Ministerial Code says ministers must “scrupulously avoid any danger of an actual or perceived conflict of interest between their ministerial position and private financial interests”.
The Zahawis personally own five residential properties worth at least £17m – three in London, one in Warwickshire and one in Dubai.
Documents show their constituency home near Warwick, a country house and stable block bought for £875,000 in 2011, was purchased with a loan from offshore company
Berkford Investments.
It is not known who owns Berkford but it is based in the same office as another firm controlled by Mr Zahawi’s dad. Mr Zahawi has said: “I have no involvement with any decision-making process by Berkford Investments.” In the past six years, companies set up by the Zahawis have spent more than £80m on commercial properties.
Most were purchased by Zahawi & Zahawi Limited, the company Mr Zahawi set up with his wife five weeks after he became an MP in 2010.
Since Mr Zahawi was appointed Children’s Minister in 2018, Mrs Zahawi has set up two further companies and continued to buy property.
In the latest list of ministers’ interests, published in May, Mr Zahawi declares his wife “is Director of several limited companies, including Zahawi & Zahawi Ltd, which own commercial and retail property”. The individual firms and properties are not named.
Sir Alastair said Mr Zahawi should have declared all his wife’s firms, adding: “It is another example of the careless way ministers of this government view rules relating to transparency.
“How are we to perceive a conflict of interest if we don’t know where the Zahawis are investing these vast sums? Ministers are expected to show leadership in applying the seven principles of public life. This looks like a total failure of leadership.” In 2000, Mr Zahawi started polling firm YouGov. He only ever held a tiny shareholding.
Instead, 10% of YouGov plc was held by Balshore Investments, run by his dad. It sold YouGov shares for up to £1.5m between 2013 and 2014.
It may have got up to £40m when the remaining shares were sold later.
Tory Mr Zahawi was chief strategy officer for oil firm Gulf Keystone between 2015 and 2017. His monthly salary there rose to £29,000 and his bonuses included one of £253,000.
Labour demands probe into whether Zahawi broke code over £100million empire
Labour’s chair Anneliese Dodds says the PM and the Cabinet ‘treat the Ministerial Code with contempt’ after we revealed a company owned by Nadhim Zahawi’s wife bought the £3.5m Chunnel industrial estate near the Eurotunnel, The Daily Mirror reported in July 2021.
Labour is calling for a probe into whether Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi fully declared details of his family’s £100m property empire as required by the Ministerial Code.
An ex-chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Sir Alastair Graham, said it is a “potential conflict of interest and should have been fully declared”.
Labour ’s chair Anneliese Dodds has now told the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on ministers’ interests: “These reports raise serious questions about whether there was a conflict of interest between Mr Zahawi’s duties to the Government and his private financial interests.”
She has asked for a probe into “whether [he] broke the Ministerial Code by failing to declare these interests appropriately”.
She told the Mirror the PM and the Cabinet “treat the Ministerial Code with contempt”.
Mr Zahawi, who did not respond to Mirror questions about his wife’s companies, transferred his stake in one of them, Zahawi & Zahawi Ltd, in 2018 when he became a minister.
The Mirror found the couple’s property portfolio included £50m in commercial property bought since that time.
His published declaration of ministers’ interests says his wife is “director of several limited companies, including Zahawi & Zahawi Ltd, which own… property”.
It does not name the other firms.