OPEN LETTER TO IAIN STEWART MP CONCERNING THE UNSUITABILITY FOR PUBLIC OFFICE OF BORIS JOHNSON

 

Dear Iain

 I was glad to shake your hand at the Remembrance Day service on Church Green Road.

 I put finger to keyboard now with some weariness after the events of Wednesday.....

The primary event I would highlight from Wednesday is the judgement from the High Court, which did not surprise me, that the VIP Contracting lane was illegal. I have plenty of experience in fair procurement and this was not fair procurement. I referred to this in my previous letter which you dismissed, but the High Court has now confirmed the illegality of this. How dreadful that when the health of the public should be the first priority, friendships are given a higher priority.

 I in fact consider this a more grievous breach of trust that the various Downing Street parties. However, I do also consider it disgraceful that the Prime Minister should :

  • Attend an event which was very clearly a party when the rules forbade that, breaking the criminal law as he did so
  • Earlier, lie to Parliament at the despatch box, declaring himself to be furious at “discovering” then that Downing Street Parties had happened
  • Commission Simon Case and later Sue Gray to investigate Downing Street Parties without providing information about the 20th May party that he attended,

All these are resigning matters.

 I understand that the Prime Minister is sorry that  he has been found out.

 I appreciate that some MPs are waiting the result of the Sue Gray inquiry. This will presumably be delayed by each new party that is being revealed. I can understand that approach, but in fact there are broadly two outcomes possible:

  • The Prime Minister is found to have broken the law
  • The Prime Minister is exonerated on a technicality, thus setting a precedent of “One Rule for Us, One Rule for Them”.

Neither of these would be a reason for confidence in the Prime Minister.

 He has lost the confidence of many Tory rebels who appear to be opposed to any further necessary measures to protect us from the pandemic, creating what a speaker from Independent Sage has described as a vacuum at the heart of Government.

 Please do not inflict on us until the local elections a Prime Minister kept in office in order to take the blame for poor local election results.

 I may not agree with the policies of your political party, but I believe that it is right for democracy that we should have political parties with different policies but all adhering to standards of honesty and integrity. The Conservative Party is more important, I would expect, to you, than preserving in office a man who is clearly unfit for public office , where every defence of his dishonesty debases the Conservative Party.

 I hope soon to see a new Prime Minister drawn not from the Cabinet but from one of your respected and experienced colleagues who chair House of Common Select Committees. This could be a recovery path for the Conservative party and the country from the current low point. I hope that in time you will help to make this happen.

 Yours

Mike Cashman  

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