Just minutes ago, Crispin Blunt finally deleted his statement defending Imran Ahmad Khan, following an ultimatum from the party this morning. All it took was that and a meltdown in his local association and the threat of losing the whip, with Tory sources this morning warning:
“Crispin’s views are wholly unacceptable. Following exchanges late last night we expect the statement to be retracted first thing this morning”
Now the tweet and full length statement calling Khan’s sex crimes “minor” have gone, with no apology or follow-up statement yet to appear.
DT Crispin Blunt MP: Statement on the conviction of Imran Ahmad Khan MP | https://t.co/rCOiM9l2KW https://t.co/jQk8BjPZIs
— Tweets MPs Delete (@deletedbyMPs) April 12, 2022
Stay tuned…
UPDATE: Blunt offers something approaching an apology and offers his resignation as chair of the LGBT+ APPG
“On reflection I have decided to retract my statement defending Imran Ahmad Khan. I am sorry that my defence of him has been a cause of significant upset and concern not least to victims of sexual offences. It was not my intention to do this.
To be clear I do not condone any form of abuse and I strongly believe in the independence and integrity of the justice system.
It is a particularly difficult time for LGBT+ rights across the world and my statement risks distracting the APPG for Global LGBT+ Rights from its important purpose. I have today offered the officers my resignation so a new Chair can be found to continue the work of the group with full force.”
Just when the Tories hoped their expulsion of Imran Ahmad Khan from the party following his guilty sentencing this afternoon would end this latest chapter in party scandal, along came fellow MP Crispin Blunt. A few hours ago Blunt published a jaw-dropping statement in defence of Khan, in which he claimed elements of the proceedings were homophobic and said he hopes “for the return of Imran Ahmad Khan to the public service that has exemplified his life to date.” His statement has already resulted in three of Blunt’s colleagues on the APPG for LGBT+ rights resigning.
This evening Guido can reveal Blunt’s statement has outraged his local party, sparking a furious row in a local WhatsApp chat which Blunt has now quit. Crispin pre-announced his statement, which was greeted by demands for further clarity over his claim the result was a “miscarriage of justice”. Another chimed in asking their MP, “Do we really want to defend someone like this?? I agree with you completely [first incredulous responder]”.
With his back against the wall, Blunt came out with the following two messages:
”As one detail you might like to reflect on the investigating officer in 2008 noted “this was not a sexual assault” There is so much more , that will hopefully ensure his appeal succeeds”
“I am deliberately giving a counter narrative to ask people to allow the appeal to take place before his reputation is wholly beyond recall, as everyone has rushed to judgement. I am adamant he should not have been charged, far less convicted 14 years after an event that was minor or any scale.
I’m Sorry but this was a rotten day for British justice and I will stand up for truth as I see it before me.”
A councillor replied that while he didn’t doubt Blunt’s “sincere intentions”, “please think of your local association and Council colleagues who will have to answer to your actions on the doorstep – even more so if any appeal is quashed”.
When an irritated Blunt retorted with, “please don’t presume to lecture me on my competing responsibilities, I am well aware of them”, the councillor shot back with this devastating response:
Blue on blue just before the local elections – no doubt exactly what CCHQ wanted to see this evening…
UPDATE: Tory source tells Guido “Crispin’s views are wholly unacceptable. Following exchanges late last night we expect the statement to be retracted first thing this morning.” Tick tock…
Amongst the exciting new lineup for Tom Newton Dunn’s new TalkTV show is none other than Moët Marxist Grace Blakeley, who is joining as a panellist on The News Desk alongside the likes of Adam Boulton, Douglas Murray, James Slack and Anas Sarwar. Guido looks forward to hearing her wax lyrical about the dangers of capitalism at the pleasure of a 91-year old media mogul worth nearly $21 billion.
It’s quite the departure for Blakeley, who will now be cashing cheques from the Murdoch Empire for the first time despite warning about the dangers of the “corporate media” and the threat it poses to “our BBC”. Here’s what she said in February last year about Rupert himself after an Extinction Rebellion protest:
“So whether we’re thinking about, for example, in the UK Extinction Rebellion, which has had some good organising tactics and some howlers as well, but they did a good one recently, which was shutting down the Murdoch-owned press, which put all this stuff out about how climate change wasn’t real, wasn’t as big as everyone said. It was a really good example of an interesting direct action that highlights this antagonism, highlights a bad guy and encourages people to feel powerful.”
Thankfully Extinction Rebellion can’t blockade a TV broadcast…
While Guido is surprised to see Blakeley board the Murdoch train, the same can’t be said of Adam Boulton. Rupert reportedly had his eye on his ex-employee for months, as Guido first revealed back in November. Now he’s back in the fold. Should be fun viewing.
Second breaking courtroom news today as Wakefield MP Imran Ahmed Khan – who had the Tory whip removed upon being charged – has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008. This is going to be a very difficult by-election for the Tories…
Congratulations to the newest member of Liverpool city council, 22-year old Ellie Byrne, who claimed her own stonking majority in the by-election for the Everton ward seat on Thursday – raking in 925 votes on a 62% share. A seat which, until January, was held by her Labour MP Ian Byrne… her father.
Byrne held the council position alongside his Westminster seat for over two years, presumably because he knew he was the best person for the job. Now his daughter has graduated from university, that appears to have changed, with Ellie soaring to victory without so much as giving an interview to local press and to the dismay of fellow campaigners. An anonymous email from furious Labour activists leading up to the election wrote:
“Does Labour condone nepotism as a way to recruit councillor candidates? To say we are startled by this information, that the candidate for this by-election is actually the daughter of the outgoing councillor, is an understatement.”
The Labour NEC insists everything is above board, with Ellie selected “based on her own ability“. Byrne senior, meanwhile, has mostly stayed quiet about the whole thing, although just a day after his daughter’s win, Guido noticed Ian claim that Rishi’s ongoing tax headaches proved “his political choices benefit no one but his family & his interests”. Takes one to know one…
Why has the Independent not published evidence to support its claim that Rishi Sunak is the beneficiary of an offshore trust? It is being reported that the Treasury denies any knowledge of the trusts cited by Anna Isaac in her scoop. That is a direct contradiction.
The specific allegation is that:
“Trusts in the British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands, created to help manage the tax and business affairs of his wife Akshata Murty’s family interests, note Mr Sunak as a beneficiary in 2020, according to people familiar with Ms Murty’s financial affairs and evidence reviewed by this publication. Mr Sunak became chancellor in February that year, and had previously been chief secretary to the Treasury since 2019.”
The only way the two claims could be compatible is if Rishi didn’t know he had been made a beneficiary of a family trust or if it was voided before he took office. However the “father-in-law did it without telling me” defence is preempted by this Daily Mail source quote “A Treasury source said that neither Mr Sunak, his wife nor her family were aware of any trusts naming him as a beneficiary.” If the Independent has evidence to the contrary, that is of public interest and will be very damaging for the Chancellor. Something doesn’t add up…
Incidentally, there is nothing illegal or morally wrong about using offshore trusts. It is just politically impossible to be a tax hiking Chancellor when you minimise your own taxes.
