END PARLIAMENTARY SLEAZE/ STOP TAX FIDDLING BY THE RICH

Some may think the Nadhim Zahawi tax affair is over. Yes, the chair of the Conservative Party is now the former chair and he is no longer a member of Rishi Sunak’s cabinet.

But the fact that Zahawi repeatedly made “untrue” public statements about his taxes, refused to disclose (while he was Chancellor) that he was being investigated by HMRC, was forced to pay a significant penalty to HMRC for fiddling his taxes, and committed a “serious breach” of the Ministerial Code lead us to think he should be also investigated by your Parliamentary Committee on Standards. His misconduct was “a serious matter.” (All quotes are from PM Sunak’s ethics advisor.)

On the very same day that most Brits are honestly settling up with the tax man (or woman), we as voters are asking: should dishonest MPs like Zahawi be allowed to remain as elected parliamentarians?

There is already far too much sleazy, downright nasty and self-serving conduct by MPs. And not all of it is being done by Tory MPs.

INVESTIGATE THE TAX AFFAIRS OF MULTI-MILLIONAIRE MP ZAHAWI

So, we call upon you to investigate the tax affairs of multi-millionaire MP Zahawi. If the evidence collected points to a breach of the standards expected of MPs, we call upon the Standards Committee to suspend Mr. Zahawi from the House of Commons for a significant period of time. This, in turn, could trigger a “recall petition”. Then the voters in the constituency of Stratford-on-Avon could decide if they still want Zahawi as their MP.

Part of the reason ---- of course, not the whole explanation --- for the level of rampant sleaze and corruption at Westminster is down to our archaic first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system. FPTP creates so-called “safe seats” and allows MPs to brazenly ignore the rules without fear of electoral consequences. (Remember North Shropshire’s Owen Paterson.)

Since World War Two ended, a staggering total of 192 seats have not switched parties. Stratford-on-Avon has remained in Tory columns in every election since at least the 1950s when John Profumo was its MP. (Remember him?)

It is comforting to know that all parties --- well, all parties EXCEPT the Tories --- support electoral reform. We hope the next UK government brings in proportional representation (PR) voting.

In the interim, we believe safe seaters like former Chancellor Zahawi require investigation by your Committee for fiddling their taxes and not telling the truth. The rot and the greed have gone on long enough.

Or as Stratford’s William Shakespeare wrote long ago in MACBETH:

“I grant him bloody,

Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful,

Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin

That has a name.”

This petition is from GET PR DONE!, a cross party/ no party group set up in January 2020 to campaign for proportional representation.    https://getprdone.org.uk/