Wandsworth Council Suspend Tory Fraud Suspect
Wandsworth Council have finally opened their eyes to the ongoing fraud scandal at Wandsworth Conservatives. This statement was put out last night:
COUNCILLOR ROBERT MORRITT
Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council, is to ask the next ordinary meeting of the Council to stand Councillor Robert Morritt down from all Council committees, following the publication of a series of allegations concerning his period as Conservative Party agent, prior to his election as a councillor.
Councillor Govindia says: “I have been disturbed to read a series of allegations in recent days concerning Councillor Robert Morritt. All the allegations concern his alleged activity before he became a councillor, and none concern council taxpayers’ money, but I believe it is essential to get to the bottom of what has happened. I do not wish to distract from the vital work of the council committees that he sits on and will therefore ask the next ordinary Council meeting to suspend his membership of them.”
Councillor Morritt is a member of Wandsworth Council’s Finance and Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, General Purposes Committee, Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Joint Staff Committee, Chief Officers Joint Consultative Committee and Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education.
Guido will look into some of the detail included here later, but there are conflicting reports over whether the Tories have suspended the whip as well. Guido understands that senior figures in the local party have begged Morritt to resign, but he is digging in and refusing to go. He’s currently still the Deputy Chairman of Justine Greening’s constituency of Putney…
Mark Elliott, Chairman of Putney Conservatives and Ravi Govindia, the Leader of Wandsworth Council are on holiday this week, which has slowed things down. Either way it’s clear to see that the original statements put out by Wandsworth Tories accusing Guido of lying and making this scandal up were woefully inaccurate…
You can read the full background to the suspension here.
Result Guido.
Keep going after the thieving piggies!
Innocent until proven guilty, B!lly.
Then you can hang him.
Hang him now, we can always do a U turn.
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That’s clever, dear. I’ll bet you spent hours working out how to do that.
You can read the full background to the suspension here.
Still wrong!
Link refers back to this page!!!
Come on!
Yes, innocent until proven guilty – but well done Guido – the bluster from him was pretty ‘orrible. He’s a god botherer though so half way guilty.
“He’s a god botherer”
That make it all right then doesn’t it.
Twat.
Mike Hunt? Twat? god botherer? Yes. It all fits.
Kitty fiddler?
Perhaps one of the most disturbing facts mentioned by Guido is that with Morritt participating in 6 committees, on 2 he is responsible for council scrutiny. Though much of his dealings could be above board, it would appear odd to have the suspected offender and investigating official wearing the same hat.
The “background” link doesn’t work.
Something about leopards and spots ?
…not for the first time.
Hiya!
Wothcha!
Brazen fellow.
Still no proper action to clean out the stables — where are you Weakling Dave?
Handing out your money abroad, actually:
http://news.sky.com/story/969658/britain-to-quadruple-aid-to-syrian-refugees
It’s easy to be a good samaritan using other people’s money.
Tony Blair perfected that art.
Tin of spinach has gone missing.
I blame Popeye.
You mean Blinky?.
Yep. Sorry.
Fraud at a council and in Wandsworth?, surely some mistake.
Wandsworth… famous for it’s “big house”.
By “Big House” do you mean the Arndale Centre, built back in the days when Wandsworth was said to be the most corrupt council in London – with all but one of the Labour Councillors and even most of the opposition receiving pay-offs .
You can’t say they weren’t inclusive.
I am absolutely disgusted at what these metropolitan types get up to!
Top work Guido, you flushed them out and they’re on the run now.
Should Councillors be taking holidays whilst suspicious cases of fraud are made public? Sounds to me like Govindia needs to get a grip.
Govindia is probably in Yemen doing customer service training.
Doesn’t speak overly well of Justine Greening’s ability to ensure she has her house in order. If she’s not got her eye on the ball at this most basic level, what does this tell us of her capacity to manage a significant, National brief.
Justine was kept in the dark, deliberately, by senior activists within the Wandsworth Group
Well they would say that wouldn’t they! Just like DfT keep her oblivious to the realities of the HS2 debacle!
It’s always the same.
My staff never tell me anything.
Am absolutely delighted that the Conservative Group have finally taken these allegations seriously.
Cllr Morritt should either sue this website for defamation and prove his innocence or resign.
The fact he has done neither since Guido first made this series of allegations implies both Cllr Morritt’s guilt and cowardice.
How much more money would you have to fiddle to pay for a super-injunction?.
Just heard he’s offered to pay it all back…
So thats all right the!
An admission of guilt then, hello!, hello! CPS, is their anybody out there?.
Where did you hear that?
I don’t believe that he’s offered to pay the rest back on the basis he is still insisting its all a witch hunt and he’s done nothing wrong (Which, knowing him well, I expect he would continue to insist even through the bars of a cell in Wandsworth nick)
Well, that prospect is coming closer by the hour. I gather that the defrauded members who have been calling for the cops to be brought in are shouting much lounder this morning.
Part of the problem in dealing with this is that Morritt has crammed his cronies into key decision making posts. He used his position as agent to fill the management committee with stupid people who would never catch him out. When one of the few smart ones actually did, the others waged a ferocious battle to undermine that person and vilify him. In the end, because no one would listen he just walked away. Others who were similarly concerned by what was happening were also forced out.
The situation now is that those who are left have neither the brains, the balls or the independence of mind to deal with the issue.
They’ll be Tories then?
Or bankers.
No difference there.
I have steered well clear of party politics for all my adult life, and only have vague links to people who do. In spite of that, it all sounds all too familiar.
This is the training ground for our MPs.
You are describing what goes on in most of the boroughs in London, with a few variations on the theme. Still, I am too lazy to bother to do anything about it.
Ooh Eric! You will never be my hero. (Unless maybe you lose 10 stone)
good one, see if this was buried in Private Eye somewhere nobody would have given 2 monkeys
Racist!
Robert Morritt seems the ideal Tory PPC to contest the Corby by election.
Good Morning.
For the good of my party and country, I confirm I am willing to allow my name to go forward.
Sadly, there are those who might take you up on that suggestion– he seems to know how the fiddling game is played, and he wouldn’t need to be taught much, so he could hit the ground running, as the para’s say; he’s “ready on Day One.”
Let’s hope when Morritt packs his bags, he doesn’t try and take a taxi home…
Apparently he won’t have to travel far, Dave’s just offered him the job of his press secretary.
I’m off swimming for the day now.
Appreciating the aesthetics of the female form is just one of the items on the agenda. Keeping my composure is another…
You’re not “One of us” then?
No. I’m not.
What is more, I can do my mathematics. I have 21 digits to count on.
What about your penis, dear? That would make 22, wouldn’t it?
Y’know, Elsie?
I never thought of that…
In the ordinary way, the Group Leader would simply substitute another member for a Councillor absent from a committee meeting.
Clearly, in this case, Cllr Morritt has refused to obey the Conservative Group’s Leader and absent himself “until the fuss dies down” (possibly this might be because he stands to lose out on expenses for travelling, etc. and we all know how he loves getting expenses). This appears to be why this extraordinary motion is being placed before the Council.
Would someone lend me a stiletto to deal with Dave?
You Tories just never get to meet any girls, do you?
Each day delivers increasingly great news.
Flag ship Tory council, dodgy doings , and all on the fiddle.
Mongo’s departure yesterday
Cockaltion in disarray
Boris, who hasn’t a hope of being PM, is the grass root loons favourite.
Nutters such as Redwood, total loony Hannan, and complete fruit cake foamer Carswell are all coming out to spill their bile.
Business as usual.
Boris vs Miliband? That would be like Usain Bolt vs Mr Bean.
errrrr don’t forget to mention Pritti Patel, Pritti Patel, Pritti Patel, Pritti Patel, Pritti Patel, Pritti Patel, Pritti Patel !!!!!!!
Thanks for the reminder.
Don’t forget Priti Patel – Tory MP expenses. Routinely hires a car, £180 per day, on expenses, even though her constituency is only 45 miles from Westminster.
£22 return on the train !!!!!!!
Has she got a family – I think she will be spending more time with them soon.
My Hero
A quick look at the expenses. also reveals that Priti sometimes gets a Taxi home, westminster to home £60 a pop. Unbelievable
Do any of you get a taxi home from work, then claim it back
Must.. criticise.. Priti.. but.. but.. ethnic! ethnic! bzzzzt! cannot be ray-cyst! cannot.. be.. but.. must.. criticise.. Tory.. bzzzzt! bzzzzt!
You can’t expect a slinky asian babe to walk home alone in the dark. Idiot.
We need more socialism, more lies, more mass immigration, more illegal wars, more hate crime laws, more debt, more EU, more tax, more re-education, more political correctness, more more more more………..
We need more socialism.
Labour lost and will again, get over it!
And what do you see when you cast your eye over the expenses submitted by Labour MPs?
The more I read of Moussa Koussa’s comments the more convinced I become that he is really Mehdi Has*n.
The more I read the more I am convinced that he really is Moussa Koussa, which incidently is Arabic for smelly cunt.
This isn’t a story.
This is what the parasites in local government do. As little as possible for obscene amounts of money.
I’m surprised he wasn’t promoted and commended with an ‘excellence in social cohesion and integrated diversity’ award.
I have never found any bunch that was worth a vote, and the ConDems certainly are proving to be in no position to lecture Liebour any longer. It may be desperation, but UKIP may well tempt me to vote, just to be rid of the Euro folly.
They really need to get a seat in the house of commons. Even though the EU is really in control, most people still think that it is the UK parliament which calls the shots. UKIP also desperately need more prominent members as well. It seems that Nigel Farage is UKIP at the moment. There needs to be a Tory faction which breaks off en-masse and joins UKIP, sort of like a real conservative secession.
Roger the Cabin Boy? – have – many times over – unless you’ve got a nice fresh one to break in.
*Gives up on trying to point out self-reference*
Here are some Meta-jokes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-joke
One has to pose the question:- Are all these fu*king politicos bent?
May be if a few were prosecuted properly that may just have the effect of straitening a few of the bast*rds out!!
But if caught they just say “I’m sorry” and offer to pay some of the ill-gotten gains back, well that’s OK then. Is it a different branch of law for the common criminal?
It’s only donations or public money so who gives a fu*k!!
Speaking as a solice ititittyter cum lorrya if there was any justice in the world I’d be strung up by now – but there isn’t and I’m NOT hah ahahahaahah hahaha hahah !!!!
George
It is worse than that.
Sadly there are parts of the establishment who seem in my opinion to prefer from my own experience to look good and protect those who err, even at the expense of others hurt by their activities. It is wrong, it is backward, and it hinders this nation.
As Cameron once said, Transparency is the best disinfectant. The trouble is so many influential people, with power, stand to loose if things do disinfect, that few are likely to have the balls.
After all would you want to be character assassinated, set up, blackmailed, done over a good un, by people who are desparate to protect themselves. It is not a pretty place to be.
And Tories stand to the wost cuplrits as such behavious is a natural side effect of chasing money.
If you want it sorted you will need to do as Guido does, en mass, through the media, or support Cameron (did I really say that) and ensure he does clean house better proactively and not just when scandals become public.
Hands up here anyone who does not know someone who has been unfairly treated by “powers that be” who saught to protect themselves or who hasn’t turned a blind eye when things were being dont that were wrong (for fear of loosing your job or whatever)?
I say you jolly chaps!!! I’m going to put Rebekkkahaha up for Corby and Moreittytitty to join me as a SPAD on finance!
The future is SECURE!!! The FUTURE IS CAMORANGE!!
What?? Wattage?
There’s nothing quite like bitingly accurate parody. And yours is nothing quite like it. More like a fourth form schoolboy trying to take the piss in the school mag.
Great work, Guido. This is why I read your blog
Vote Labour!
There’s a vacancy for him in Corby.
The reason we need small government is the same reasoning we need that once cruise ships become to large everybody has the shits
“A detailed, thorough and independent investigation was performed and a series of detailed questions subsequently put to Mr Morritt. Mr Morritt satisfactorily answered all of these questions.”
So I take it these questions were:
Did you do it,
Are you sure you didn’t do it?
Can you call me a taxi?
Tsk, tsk, you would have thought that these peopole would have learnt a lesson from Watergate, Its the CoverUp that does for you.
Well done that pesky Guido.
I expect politicians to have absolute rectitude, unlike the present shower of scum, chancers, crooks, liars and thieves who rule our lives and should be dismissed.
Do me a favour Morrittgate needs his own Joint Consultative Standing Advisory Top-Scrutiny Committee to Scrutinise the Scrutiniser! Would you buy a used stamp from this geez?
Well, if nobody else will do the obvious joke that has been sitting in front of an open goal for days now, then I suppose I must:
“Wandsworth Tory Cllr story = The Morritt is reported on, the Morritt needs looking into.”
Doing the cheap-o’s, so you won’t have to.
*slight ripple*
Councillors get extra expenses for each committee they sit on and that can add up to quite a bit. Has Guido calculated Morritt’s total pay from the council?
There’s no point waiting for the Chairman of Putney Conservatives to do anything about this. He is a mate of Morritt’s, as was his predecessor who did nothing when told about it two years ago.
The thing you need to know about Putney Conservatives is that:
“They’re all in this together”
This is going to please Guido.
Apparently those Arabs in Syria have rounded up 30 of his favorite pilgrims and are going to shoot them dead anytime soon.
Iranians are going apeshit for some reason.
Better send Mr Haigh to sort this out.