Lord Ahmed willingness to offer $10 million for Blair & Dubya…
“America has just said that they will give a reward of $10m to anyone who arrests or hands over Hafiz Saeed. I am saying that even if I have to beg in Haripur, Pakistan, the US or Britain. Even if I have to beg I am willing to raise and offer £10 million so that George W Bush and Tony Blair can be brought to the International Court of Justice on war crimes charges. Even if I have to sell my house I am ready to do it. The thing is that, if they are talking sensibly then I too am talking sensibly. The US has put pressure on Pakistan. To release this pressure I am are saying this. But the thing is, a political move should be countered with a political move.”
While most of the focus has been on Ken and his lack of transparency recently, Guido did wonder why the LibDem candidate Brian Paddick only released the last three years of his financials, unlike the four years from the others. Guido has worked out why…
In the missing fourth back year (2007/8) Brian Paddick received a large lump sum as part of his leaving package from the Met. Whilst the debate about public sector pensions can be saved for another day and Guido can’t have a go at Paddick for accepting what was rightfully his, however absurdly generous it was, it was a little rum to deliberately try to hide the evidence. Guido and his bean counting co-conspirators have worked out that this pay off would have been just shy of £400,000. Tax free…
His campaign initially refused to comment on the figures. However we know that Brian Paddick earned £125,667 as Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Met and he is on the 1987 Police Pension Scheme. His healthy pension is two thirds of his final salary (£83,778). The key figure is how much he commuted from an annual income into a lump sum and what commutation factor was applied…
Paddick retired at age 49 years and 1 month, so his commutation factor is 19. (Whilst the commutation factors are said to be from 1 October 2007, these were later backdated to 1 December 2006 following a judicial review.) From the figures that Paddick did release, we know that he receives an annual income from his pension of £63,397. Therefore he commuted the following amount (in terms of annual income forfeited) £83,778 – £63,397 = £20,381. So multiply that £20,381 by 19 and we get £387,239. And in a perk of the job this is tax free...
Guido suspects that in 2007/8 Paddick’s effective rate of income tax was even less than Livingstone’s 14.5%. In response to this figure a spokesman for Brian Paddick said: “All Mayoral candidates agreed to publish their tax details from the last Mayoral election in 2008. Brian has fulfilled this commitment, unlike certain other candidates.” The agreement was four years if we are going to be picky…
Caroline Spelman’s son Jonny has been banned from rugby until October 19 2013.
PA reports that the rising England star “admitted taking a number of drugs, including anabolic steroids and a growth hormone, when he appeared before an independent disciplinary tribunal on March 26.”
Despite the story being true the multi-millionaire Environment Secretary spent the equivalent of entire MP’s annual salary trying to repress it and stop it from appearing in the Daily Star Sunday.
He’s back…
UPDATE:
https://twitter.com/#!/ChrisBryantMP/statuses/191898120244830208
Lots of religions say you should never swear…
Today sees the launch of the Department of Health’s consultation on plain packaging for tobacco. It is said to have the full support of the Andrew Lansley, unlike the last such nannying measure to come out of Whitehall – minimum pricing of alcohol. It was left to Theresa May to make a cack-handed public order defence for minimum pricing after the Health Secretary reportedly refused to lead the campaign. Health sources say the discrepancy is down to what is considered acceptable levels – Lansley believes there to be no acceptable level of smoking where as there are acceptable levels of boozing, but Guido isn’t convinced by the logic. Both measures are patronising nanny-statism of the worst kind and should be opposed.
What is it with Tory blonds and wanting to be Mayors?
Where has Watson been all week?
What’s the latest Tory cash for access wheeze?
You could have known the answers to these questions yesterday if you bought your Daily Star Sunday.
Yesterday’s column is now online here.
Guido’s favourite bit was about the Labour MP Simon Danczuk. The former business associate of Andy Burnham’s closest adviser Kevin Lee is whoring out parliament to a private health firm…
What does the Shadow Health Secretary make of it all?
