Dr Liam Fox (Defense Secretary) - Stay or go

11 Oct 2011

Serious mistakes were made by Defense Secretary Liam Fox in his working relationship with friend Adam Werritty, Downing Street has said.
The spokesman said: "It is clear, as Liam Fox himself said yesterday, that serious mistakes were made in allowing the distinction between professional responsibilities and personal loyalties to be blurred - and this has clearly raised concerns about impropriety and potential conflicts of interest."
He said that while the initial conclusion was that no classified or other defence-related official information was discussed with, or given to, Mr Werritty, it was clear "much tighter procedures" were needed in the department to make sure the Ministerial Code was adhered to.
Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said it was clear the defence secretary had "drawn a coach and horses" through the ministerial code rules.
He said "we may never know whether it was arrogance, naivety or hubris which led Mr Fox to this", but the British people expected the highest standards of conduct.
To save you all looking : The Ministerial Code
Section 1 General Principle
1.2 c .... Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the Prime Minister
1.2.d Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public, refusing to provide information when disclosure would not be in the public interest ....
1.2.f Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and their private interests
1.2.g Ministers should not accept any gift oir hospitality which might, or might reasonably appear to, compromise their judgement or place them under an impropper obligation.
Section 3
3.2 With the exception of the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers may each appoint up to two advisers (paid or unpaid). The Prime Minister may also authorise the appointment of one or two special advisors by Ministers who regularly attend Cabinet meetings.
Section 7 General Principle
7.1 Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.
Section 10
10.2 Ministers should make it their personal responsibility to approve the size and composition of Ministerial delegations.....

In the Defense Secretary's statement to Parliament yesterday afternoon Mr Fox :
- apologised to MPs for the controversy
- he said he met the businessman 22 times, more than previously stated, at the Ministry of Defence and 18 times on foreign trips.
- "I accept that it was a mistake to allow distinctions to be blurred between my professional responsibilities and my personal loyalties to a friend"
- "I accept, with the benefit of hindsight I should have taken greater care to ensure a more transparent separation of government, party political and private business and that meetings were properly recorded to protect myself and government from any suggestion of wrongdoing"
- "Again, I accept my personal responsibility for this"
Plus
- Mr Werrity used to carry cards describing himself as an adviser to "the Rt Hon Liam Fox MP".
- Mr Werrity also brokered meetings for Mr Fox and accompanied him on foreign trips, apparently holding meetings without civil servants present.
Looking at all of the above and when set against the Prime Minsisters comments about dealing with the recent rioters and looters, "when they cross the line and break the law, to be very tough" then we believe that there are sufficient clear breaches of the Ministerial Code and precident for the Prime Minister to have sacked Liam Fox as Defense Secretary already.
What say you ?

11 Oct 2011

Can't see him being sacked...............Don't forget it's one law for them and totally different ones for us !!
J & S

11 Oct 2011

So we have proof that a politician is a lying, conniving git who goves favours to his friends.
And? dunno

Nothing new there. If they get rid of him, they would have to get rid of all of them. That won't happen - too many favours owed by too many people to too many other people. It isn't our votes that get them into power - that's just the dressing on the stage - they pay for their election wins, before or after.

11 Oct 2011

question is...who paid for the travel expenses of this guy when he was away with Dr Fox ?
You not telling me he paid for this out of his own purse and for no reason other than he liked being with his mate !!!!
There is alot more to this than meets the eye !!! I actually think Dr Fox will fall on his sword, and the real reasons why his freind was there and any payments he recieved from where-ever, will then be swept under the carpet, and Dr Fox and his freind will hope journalists don't then dig any deeper !!!

12 Oct 2011

Quote by foxylady2209
So we have proof that a politician is a lying, conniving git who goves favours to his friends.

Is the Secretary of State for Education involved now?
I thought Michael Gove was pretty straight, actually. Perhaps they're all at it dunno

12 Oct 2011

I deffo recon he's gay.

14 Oct 2011

oh what a surprise....he falls on his own sword....and resigns.
He is now hopeing it will go quiet, and the press won't keep digging.
Keep watching this space !!

14 Oct 2011

Guilty, innocent, devious, sly who cares
To put himself in this situation he must be an idiot and I dont want the lives of British Forces Personnel put in danger by having an idiot at the top

14 Oct 2011

Why isnt this guy being charged with fraud, it is claimed that he had business cards printed and presented claiming to represent the Government and the Defence Department
If I did that I would be charged with fraud ?

14 Oct 2011

Quote by MidsCouple24
Why isnt this guy being charged with fraud, it is claimed that he had business cards printed and presented claiming to represent the Government and the Defence Department
If I did that I would be charged with fraud ?

Not exactly true.
The cards as shown in the media stated: "Adam Werrity Advisor to Dr. Liam Fox MP"
Unless there are others I didn't know about.

15 Oct 2011

Quote by MidsCouple24
Guilty, innocent, devious, sly who cares
To put himself in this situation he must be an idiot and I dont want the lives of British Forces Personnel put in danger by having an idiot at the top

I would tend to suggest arrogance.

Quote by dean
He is now hopeing it will go quiet, and the press won't keep digging.

I guess he knows it won't go quiet any time soon but breaking the Ministerial Code is not likely to find him before the Courts.
The Labour front bench will be content with the additional scalp they have hanging from their belt and they'll now be busy looking for the next one (Ollie is just a twit and not worth the effort).

15 Oct 2011

Very foolish I would suggest, 20 years in opposition and a few months in his new job, plonker!

18 Oct 2011

Quote by Bluefish2009
Very foolish I would suggest, 20 years in opposition and a few months in his new job, plonker!

Plonker indeed
Interesting to see today's Telegraph, Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox was warned about his working relationship with Adam Werritty, an official report says, according to The Daily Telegraph.
A degree of arrogance that's come back to bite him.
Can't wait to read Sir Gus O'Donnell's report later lol

19 Oct 2011

Quote by Andy_Jules
Why isnt this guy being charged with fraud,

Who did he allegedly defraud then?

A number of companies who supply/want to supply goods to the Ministry of Defence dealt with this guy believing he represented the Government and in particular the Defence Minister, they believed that as an advisor to such a person holding such a high position within the defence department he was "in the know", working in the interest of the government etc.
We all know that often we benefit from the old adage "it's not what you know it's who you know"
He was alledgely asked to stop presenting himself in such a way and continued to do so. Perhaps if he was charged it would be a warning to others as I doubt he is not the only "name dropper" in business. Let the CPS decide if there is a case to answer.

19 Oct 2011

Hurrah,
A report by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell into former defence secretary Liam Fox's working relationship with self-styled adviser Adam Werritty has been published.
Dr Fox has already accepted that his actions and judgement fell short of the standards of conduct required in the Ministerial Code and the evidence in this report supports the conclusion of a clear breach of the Ministerial Code.
The Ministerial Code sets out very clearly the standards of behaviour required from Ministers. Dr Fox did not live up to these standards.
Dr Fox's close and visible association with Mr Werrity in the UK and overseas, and the latter's use of misleading business cards, has fuelled a general impression that Mr Werritty spoke on behalf of the UK Government.
The risks of Dr Fox's association with Mr Werritty were raised with Dr Fox by both his private office and the Permanent Secretary.
The damage arose because the frequency, range and extent of these contacts were not regulated as well as they should have been and this was exacerbated by the fact that Dr Fox did not make his department aware of all the various contacts.
the links and a lack of clarity of roles means that the donations given to Mr Werritty could be seen as giving rise to the perception of a conflict of interest.
The Cabinet Office was not aware of Mr Werritty. Mr Werritty was neither a special adviser nor an official unpaid adviser, but a personal friend of Dr Fox's (and not himself a lobbyist).
In addition, Liam Fox faces a standards investigation into claims he allowed a friend to stay in a taxpayer-funded flat rent-free today confirmed by Parliament's standards commissioner John Lyon.
Mr Lyon, who investigates MPs for rule breaches, including those made under the old expenses scheme, is to look at separate claims that Mr Fox allowed his friend to stay at his London flat rent-free for months in 2002 and 2003.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Werritty stayed at the MP's flat in Southwark, south London - for which Mr Fox had claimed about £1,400 a month in expenses to cover mortgage interest payments under the old expenses scheme.
It also said Mr Werritty had listed the flat's address when he registered himself as a director of a defence consultancy he set up.
Labour MP John Mann has separately made a complaint to City of London police about Mr Werritty's use of business cards describing himself as an adviser, which the Cabinet Secretary's report states, "Mr Werritty's use of business cards describing him as an adviser to Dr Fox gave the impression that Mr Werritty spoke on behalf of the UK Government and/or was associated with Dr Fox in some form of official capacity. This may have been confusing for foreign governments and representatives who may not have understood the differences between a person acting as an external adviser and an adviser to Government."
Additionally the official report also states in it's opening paragraph, "Since then, more allegations about Dr Fox's conduct have arisen many of which will be the responsibility of others to answer, including the Electoral Commission which regulates political parties and their funding."
The Public Administration Select Committee has announced an inquiry into the role of the head of the civil service, which will also look at the service's actions in relation to Mr Werritty.
Bluefish2009 think your 'plonker' assertion was correct, just that most of us didn't quite realise just how big a plonker.
As deancannock also said, keep watching this space !!
lol

19 Oct 2011

all this and still no inkling of how Mr Werritty funded this life style or who he even worked for ?????

7 Nov 2011

Werrity was funded by a number of foreign interests. The Tories love to wrap themselves in the flag and brag patriotism but dig and you see the dirty truth.