Watchdog Must Carry Out Boris Johnson Flat Probe ‘Quickly’, Senior Tory Says
Tom Tugendhat tells HuffPost UK: “If they are going to drag it out then it will begin to look like they are playing politics with it and that would be a great shame.”
The election watchdog must carry out its investigation into who funded Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat refurbishment quickly or risk the perception that it is “playing politics”, a senior Tory has said.
Tom Tugendhat told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast that the Electoral Commission must prove to be “regulators who are not only independent but are seen to be independent”.
Tories Suspend Election Candidate Who ‘Endorsed’ Far-Right Leader
Party had let Andrew Walker stand for Blackburn with Darwen Council despite his praise for Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
TOLGA AKMEN via Getty Images
Founder and former leader of the anti-Islam English Defence League (EDL), Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson, addresses supporters outside the Old Bailey, London s Central Criminal Court, in central London on July 4, 2019
The Conservatives have suspended a local election candidate who “endorsed” the far-right leader Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, on social media.
Andrew Walker had been running for the Darwen South seat on Blackburn with Darwen Council, but was suspended pending an investigation by the party.
‘Human Crash Test Dummy’ Presenter Suing BBC For £3.7m For Injuries Sustained During TV Experiment
Jem Stansfield says he has suffered whiplash and brain damage following his appearance on Bang Goes The Theory.
A TV host is suing the BBC for a reported £3.7 million after he sustained injuries when he volunteered to be a human crash test dummy.
Jem Stansfield took part in an experiment for the series Bang Goes The Theory in 2014, which saw him strapped to a specially-designed cart.
He was then catapulted towards a fake lamppost and was pulled forwards and backwards by the cart.
In a clip from the show, the presenter explains that he would be sent down the track into a makeshift lamppost, adding that he knew it wasn’t going to be a “wholly pleasant experience”.
The Unite union complex in Birmingham
Unite’s controversial £98m hotel and conference centre could face an independent QC-led review if any evidence of misspending is found, the favourite in the race to replace Len McCluskey has declared.
In a wide-ranging interview with HuffPost UK, assistant general secretary Steve Turner said that he was prepared to order a probe if there was any evidence of anything “untoward” over the handling of the project in Birmingham.
The new building complex, which will house the union’s regional headquarters as well as a four-star, 170 bed Aloft hotel and 1,000-seat conference centre, has been dogged by criticism as its costs soared by £40m.
Going to Waugh - political editor from Rochdale challenges PM Date published: 27 April 2021
Paul Waugh
Political editor Paul Waugh has spoken about the part his hometown of Rochdale has played in his reputation for holding prime ministers to account.
Waugh is the HuffPost UK’s Executive Editor, Politics, and last week made headlines of his own for his questioning of Boris Johnson at the Downing Street press conference.
The journalist, who was born and bred in Rochdale, asked the PM whether he acted with “honesty and integrity” in his relationship with US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri. Johnson said he had.
Speaking afterwards Waugh said: “Always at the back of my mind I think ‘what would my mum and cousins in Rochdale think?’ What questions would they want asking?