Tim Yeo agreed to go on Sky’s Murnaghan Show last night and backed out this morning – perhaps he feared further incriminating himself. Guido believes that on the evidence of what Tim Yeo said on film to the Sunday Times he admitted to offences under the Bribery Act 2010.  Guido will be writing to Metropolitan Police Commissioner drawing attention to the evidence. When we did the same in the Jim Devine case he was sentenced to 16 months…

As disgraced cash-for-questions Tory Patrick Mercer plotted his dodgy Fiji deal, there was one thing concerning him above all else:

“Do you know the website Guido Fawkes? Guido Fawkes will be all over this. Like a dose of clap. He really will. Trying to find out where the corruption is in it.”

He wasn’t worried about being caught by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, he was worried about Guido. This blog uncovered Mercer at it with lobbyists in 2011, when he took £10,000 from a security company and sponsored a pass for its Managing Director. The authorities did nothing. The warning signs were there, the complaint went in, but the corruption continued…

By the admission of a crooked MP, the rules are so weak that an Honourable Member thinking of taking cash for questions or selling amendments to lobbyists dismisses the threat of reprimand. Guido and the rest of the free press are the only ones guarding the guardians. As someone, somewhere once said: sunlight is the best disinfectant…

Tongues are wagging for the second time this week over the identity of politicos involved in an alleged sex scandal. Last week a certain Tory MP was talking in support of “traditional marriage”, now he is fighting allegations that he and his wife groped their lesbian maid and tried to have a threesome with her. She is now suing them for sexual discrimination, unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal. Neither party can be named:

“‘I sat on the sofa. Mr P came and sat down next to me. Mrs P then sat on the floor between his legs. Mrs P began to French kiss Mr P. I was extremely embarrassed and hoped they’d stop.’ The woman, who had recently split with her partner, said she then felt Mrs P’s hand rub her crotch. ’I was shocked and shot into the back of the sofa. As soon as I’d done this, Mr P proceeded to place his hand on my thigh. I shot to my feet, said I’m not into this sort of thing and went into my room and barricaded my door.’”

The tribunal continues…

Guido made a modest proposal to lightly regulate lobbyists back in 2011. Here is the outline of Guido’s policy reform:

Guido is no fan of government regulation of the private sector however the political lobbying industry thwarts democracy and pollutes the body politic to such an extent something has to be done. Guido’s policy idea is that all politicians and civil servants should be required to transparently publish all details of meetings with lobbyists – government ministers and Downing Street SpAds already have to do this. The idea should be rolled out as a requirement for all those paid by taxpayers and involved in influencing legislation. Obviously this means the question of identifying political lobbyists will have to be addressed.

To avoid any confusion by ministers or civil servants when unknowingly or inadvertently meeting lobbyists socially, taking up tickets to the opera or lunching at Michelin-starred restaurants and the like, registered lobbyists should make themselves easily identifiable.  The historically tried and tested solution for just this problem springs to mind. They should be made to wear bells around their necks, like lepers…

Disgraced Labour peer Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate was outed in the Sunday Times as having agreed to become a paid advocate for a firm pushing for new laws to benefit its business. Guido can now reveal that MacKenzie is the face of a company which promises to “increase your chances of winning a Queen’s honour such as an OBE, MBE or Knighthood”, or “increase your chances of joining the Lords”. How might he do that?

Mackenzie himself says the company, Awards Intelligence, will “significantly increase your chances of success and save valuable time”. He charges £8,900 for help with a knighthood and £4,900 to boost your chances of being made a peer, with an industry-busting average “win rate” of 42%. Of course Mackenzie would never try to get around parliamentary rules and abuse his position to make money for a private firm. They might struggle to find new clients now…

In Guido’s Sun column yesterday we revealed that the disgraced former MP Denis MacShane has become a lobbyist despite still under police investigation for expenses fiddles. The laptop grabber is currently hawking around his CV in which he describes himself as a self-employed consultant based in “London, Paris and Washington”, “advising Asian, US and UK based firms on government policy problems and media strategy”. For some reason the would-be lobbyist’s CV doesn’t mention why he was kicked out of Parliament and remains to this day under investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

His alleged new offices in “London, Paris and Washington” will be a big step up from his old office – the garage of his semi-detached house in Rotherham – for which over 8 years he pocketed £125,000 in office rent expenses from the taxpayer…

Busted.

Via Telegraph.

This appears to be a fake company used to sting MPs and Peers:

“Coulton & Goldie Global helps you achieve your boldest ambitions by overcoming reputational and relationship obstacles.” It is PO box in Zurich. Their phone number is no longer connected. 

This is the one believed to be used by the Telegraph/Panorama that Mercer is said to have signed a contract with:

A simple few clicks should have shown Mercer these were fake companies…

Spinmeisters were already trying to get ahead of a sting by “two undercover journalists” last week. This from PRWeek last Thursday makes very interesting reading:

“PRWeek has learned that what appear to be undercover reporters have contacted a number of public affairs consultancies and met with at least one to investigate the role of lobbying firms in the establishment of all-party parliamentary groups. Insight Communications MD John Lehal alerted PRWeek to what he described as a ‘clumsy attempt at investigative journalism’ following a meeting last week. He met with two individuals purporting to be from an international management consultancy working on behalf of an energy investment fund.”

Obviously not that clumsy…

Readers will remember how last year Guido revealed another Patrick Mercer mystery. As Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Security, he received almost £10,000 from private security firm Clearwater, sponsoring their MD Kevin Horak’s parliamentary pass for his troubles. Mercer insisted there was nothing to see here, despite being reported to the Parliamentary Standards commissioner. Who did nothing.

Labour MP Thomas Docherty, who reported Mercer at the time, tells Guido:

“The Mercer scandal shows the need to reform what happens when legitimate complaints are made to the Standards Commissioner. It should not be for the member of the public to know the rule book and identify the specific breach. The commissioner should act in the same way as the police and be prepared to investigate potential wrongdoing of parliamentary activities at face value.”