The Speaker has finally replied to Rob Wilson’s detailed questions about the probity of his pass-for-donor arrangement, and once again he is choosing his words very carefully. The question of what access Farah Sassoon has to the parliamentary estate is particularly troublesome for Bercow. He claims that “this pass has restrictions on it which are tailored to the circumstances for which the pass is required and will not activate proximity readers inside the Palace.” As anyone familiar with parliament will know, a free run from an entrance all the way through to Speaker’s House would give the passholder significant access to wider parts of the estate.
Bercow has now had two opportunities to explain himself, and still he has failed to do so. If Farah Sassoon has no commercial relationship with Sally, why is she going around parliament telling MPs she does? How is it possible for her pass to only grant her access to Speaker’s House and not the wider parliamentary estate? And does he think it is appropriate to award special access to parliament to a woman who is funding his re-election campaign? His evasive answers hardly set an example fitting for the Speaker…
UPDATE: The Telegraph have yet more questions for Bercow:
Significant inconsistencies between what Bercow tells @RobWilson_RDG here and what Commons told me in Feb: http://t.co/Oc6WrgkiSN
— Matthew Holehouse (@mattholehouse) August 8, 2014
If Bercow is now saying Farah Sassoon is one of 7, that means she was listed as either a contractor, advisor or family member. Which?
— Matthew Holehouse (@mattholehouse) August 8, 2014
