33rd year AADHIKAR
0225 GMT Thursday 06 June 2013
AADHIKAR Media Foundation Editor © Muhammad Haque
Founding News Editor
Shah M Azizul Haque
AADHIKAR Media Foundation established with the publication of AADHIKAR the weekly on Monday 19 December 1980 from London E1 UK.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
KHOODEELAAR! evidential note [2] of the day on the imprudence of Gordon Brown's 'economic policies'
1445 Hrs GMT London Sunday 26 April 2009:
KHOODEELAAR! evidential note [2] of the day on the imprudence of Gordon Brown's 'economic policies'. To find that his ‘cash for MPs’ deal and overture [posted on YouTube and mocked so remorselessly that even the BBC had to allow the latest edition of 'Have I Got News for You' to let on that they too found Brown's acting stint on YouTube beyond parody!!!!] has been totally ridiculed and exposed shows lack of good value [sic]. To then find that Tessa Jowell, reportedly in control of a £9 Billion budge in the name of the people of the UK and under the pretext of the 2012 Games hosting banner is now linkable to a careeristically gold-mining Gould shows a ‘values’-free regime indeed.
And that is even before we began an updater dissection of the ridiculous conceptual entity called ‘Vah-loos’ that the imprudent Mr Brown has confected to add embarrassment to incredulity...
When the then editor of the UK Financial Times newspaper wrote an alleged tribute to the just-deceased Eddie George and as pub lished in the Daily Mail media Group [“My utterly engaging neighbour, the jolly Capt Mainwaring of Threadneedle Street By ANDREW GOWERS] [Last updated at 12:36 AM on 19th April 2009” ], he let slip that the OVERLY-hyped ‘independence’ of the Bank of England which Gordon Brown had claimed to have introduced in 1997 and which he relished and profited from for the past 11 years, was in fact something the late Governor of the Bank of England disagreed with... The one point of that ‘disclosure’ is that the ex editor of the FT did not make anything of THAT `aspect of the Bank of England independence’ for all those years. The FT’s ex-editor did a greater disservice to the cause of regulation. Not as much disservice as Gordon Brown did. Because it NOW transpires that Brown in fact created the real obstruction to regulation in the banking sector by giving the FSA [= F****** S****** A*******] the key role......As events of the past six months have forced many disclosures [albeit not nearly enough but SOME disclosures nonetheless], the evidence shows that far from making regulation a reality, Gordon Brown in fact abolished true regulation of the UK and related banking sector and that the so-called independence of the Bank of England too was a sham.....It is in this context again that KHOODEELAAR! ‘advising’ Brown to scrap Crossrail before the mud of abuse and waste and unnecessary debts and fraud come thick and fast and totally bury him and his name and his role and his claims in it......[To be continued]
TEXTS only reproduced on this AADHIKAROnline blog from the web site of the DAILY MAIL Media Group London on Sunday 26 April 2009
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1173566/Tessa-Jowell-offered-Olympic-cash-bid-family-friend-seat-parliament.html
Tessa Jowell 'offered Olympic cash in bid to get family friend seat in parliament'
By MILES GOSLETT
Last updated at 2:55 PM on 26th April 2009
Comments (47)
Add to My Stories
Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell is in the spotlight over an email from Georgia Gould
Labour was plunged into a fresh storm last night after a leaked email suggested that Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell promised money from the 2012 Games in exchange for the selection of a family friend as a General Election candidate.
Miss Jowell is accused of trying to 'bribe' party members in the Erith and Thamesmead constituency by telling them that if they selected Georgia Gould, the area would be in a good position to benefit from the £9billion Olympics budget which she controls.
In an email, written the day after the April 7 meeting, Miss Gould - the 22-year-old daughter of Tony Blair's poll guru Lord Gould - wrote: 'I hosted a great meeting last night for Tessa Jowell, the Minister for the Olympics. Tessa spoke with real passion about the opportunities for investment that will result from the Olympics.
'Tessa said it was the job of the local MP to fight for Erith & Thamesmead and for future investment ... She was kind enough to say that I was the right person to do this.'
Under Government rules, Ministers are banned from using Government resources for party political purposes.
Last night, Tory MP Douglas Carswell said he would write to Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell to demand an investigation into the allegations.
'Labour seems to have trouble distinguishing party political matters from official Government business,' he said.
'What was Ms Jowell doing talking about the potential benefits of the Olympic Games to this constituency at the same time as talking up her preferred candidate?'
Tory Philip Davies, a member of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport select committee, said: 'This sounds like a bribe to me. It's entirely wrong for the Olympics Minister to use the promise of Olympics investment as a tool to try to win a power struggle in the Labour Party.'
More...
MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: The workings of Labour's rotten clique
Even Darling thinks his Budget doesn't add up as relations with Brown hit all-time low
Government minister places 'substantial' met on Gordon Brown defeat at general election
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER: The last thing this country needs is a pirate raid on the wealthy (and don't lynch me because I'm a rich b*****d)
'We have to sort it! Take it or leave it!', Brown rages at Cameron during expenses meeting
Tory MP sues over Labour 'Smeargate' emails
SUZANNE MOORE: So poor James Blunt might become a tax exile. Pass the Kleenex
Miss Jowell is one of several senior Labour figures connected to the Gould family who have supported Miss Gould's bid to win selection to the safe seat in a deprived part of South-East London, including Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell. The contest has been dogged by a bitter dispute within the party, with accusations of attempted vote-rigging and claims that Miss Gould is exploiting her powerful political connections to secure victory over local candidates.
Leaflets handed out to publicise the meeting at a community centre in the constituency read: 'Come and meet Tessa Jowell MP (Olympics Minister) with Georgia Gould. Let's find out how we can use our proximity to the Olympics to get more activities for children and young people.'
Miss Jowell has repeatedly refused to confirm whether she attended the meeting, but a source who was there said: 'Tessa Jowell spent the first ten minutes talking about Georgia Gould, saying that she would make an excellent MP. She then spoke about the Olympics.'
Friends in high places: Georgia Gould pictured with Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell
Another source who was at the meeting said: 'She talked about jobs in the area. She said Georgia Gould was a strong character who would make a strong candidate.'
Sitting MP John Austin, whose impending retirement has triggered the selection battle, last night criticised Miss Jowell.
He said: 'I do not think it is appropriate for another MP to be involved in the selection process in another constituency. It should be a matter for local members.'
He has already made a formal complaint to Commons Speaker Michael Martin, alleging that Miss Jowell defied parliamentary convention by making the speech backing Miss Gould in his constituency without telling him.
He has also complained to Labour Party bosses about alleged rule breaches by campaigners encouraging members to sign up for postal votes.
The selection process was mired in controversy last weekend after a ballot box containing 95 postal votes was broken into at the party's headquarters in
London, and ballot papers torn.
It has also emerged that the home of the Labour official in charge of the ballot box, Mike Creighton, was burgled earlier this month, meaning he was away from the office dealing with the break-in when the ballot box was interfered with.
The email sent by Georgia Gould referring to a meeting at which Miss Jowell spoke
Although he confirmed the break-in, Mr Creighton refused to discuss the matter. Earlier this month, all Labour members and officials were ordered not to speak publicly about any aspect of the selection battle.
Several senior Labour figures have been actively campaigning for Miss Gould. As well as Miss Jowell, those who have either phoned local members or visited them include Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, former MP Stephen Twigg - who has been seen canvassing with Miss Gould - and former Labour general secretary Baroness McDonagh.
A senior Labour source said: 'The message that's been put out is that Georgia Gould is an influential person with influential friends and, because of that, she can deliver.'
Miss Gould, who graduated from St Catherine's College, Oxford, less than a year ago, is from one of Britain's most powerful political families.
Her father, Philip, was a spin doctor for ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock in the Eighties and later one of Mr Blair's key advisers in Downing Street. Her mother, Gail Rebuck, the chairman and chief executive of publishing group Random House, is also a prominent figure in Labour circles and reputedly secured Alastair Campbell a £1million deal for his memoirs.
At Oxford Miss Gould was chairman of the Oxford University Labour Club (OULC). One of her best friends was Nicky Blair, younger son of Mr Blair.
During her stewardship, in 2007, she lured a string of high-profile Blairite MPs to Oxford to speak at meetings, including David Miliband, Alan Milburn and Charles Clarke. Attracting speakers of such influence was unusual even by the relatively high standards of the OULC.
She also asked Alastair Campbell, a close friend of Lord Gould, to address the club's John Smith Memorial Dinner in 2007. One Oxford contemporary has claimed Miss Gould referred to him as 'Uncle Ally'.
In a bid to boost her chances of selection, it is understood that Miss Gould has enlisted the freelance help of members of staff who work for communications and strategy group BBM Consultants, of which Baroness McDonagh is a former director.
Shadow Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson said: 'If there is any suggestion that Tessa Jowell is using London 2012 for Labour Party political purposes this clearly breaks a series of very firm cross-party undertakings that have been in place since 2005.'
The London Games have been described by the Olympics Delivery Authority as the 'biggest regeneration project in Europe'.
But according to experts, the economic and structural benefits are most likely to be felt in those boroughs adjoining the Olympic Park in the Lower Lea Valley in East London.
For other London boroughs, including Erith and Thamesmead, the economic benefits are entirely dependent on what the London Mayor is able to inject into grass-roots sport.
Miss Gould confirmed last night that she had sent the email, adding: 'I've been advised not to talk to the Press so I can't comment. Clearly these allegations are nonsense but I can't get into a discussion. I'm really sorry.'
A spokesman for Miss Jowell and the Labour Party dismissed any allegations of wrongdoing.
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The longer this lot are in power, the more this country gets like a banana republic. Apologies to the countries that actually grow bananas. I doubt we'd even organise that without a trough refill.
Click to rate Rating 366 - isabella, london, 26/4/2009 01:35
Par for the course for Labour. I'm not in the least bit surprised.
Click to rate Rating 316 - Pete, Manchester, 26/4/2009 01:34
Anything to do with this Labour Government does not surprise me anymore.
Click to rate Rating 319 - Graham Brekke, Cardiff, 26/4/2009 01:33
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KHOODEELAAR! evidential note [2] of the day on the imprudence of Gordon Brown's 'economic policies'. To find that his ‘cash for MPs’ deal and overture [posted on YouTube and mocked so remorselessly that even the BBC had to allow the latest edition of 'Have I Got News for You' to let on that they too found Brown's acting stint on YouTube beyond parody!!!!] has been totally ridiculed and exposed shows lack of good value [sic]. To then find that Tessa Jowell, reportedly in control of a £9 Billion budge in the name of the people of the UK and under the pretext of the 2012 Games hosting banner is now linkable to a careeristically gold-mining Gould shows a ‘values’-free regime indeed.
And that is even before we began an updater dissection of the ridiculous conceptual entity called ‘Vah-loos’ that the imprudent Mr Brown has confected to add embarrassment to incredulity...
When the then editor of the UK Financial Times newspaper wrote an alleged tribute to the just-deceased Eddie George and as pub lished in the Daily Mail media Group [“My utterly engaging neighbour, the jolly Capt Mainwaring of Threadneedle Street By ANDREW GOWERS] [Last updated at 12:36 AM on 19th April 2009” ], he let slip that the OVERLY-hyped ‘independence’ of the Bank of England which Gordon Brown had claimed to have introduced in 1997 and which he relished and profited from for the past 11 years, was in fact something the late Governor of the Bank of England disagreed with... The one point of that ‘disclosure’ is that the ex editor of the FT did not make anything of THAT `aspect of the Bank of England independence’ for all those years. The FT’s ex-editor did a greater disservice to the cause of regulation. Not as much disservice as Gordon Brown did. Because it NOW transpires that Brown in fact created the real obstruction to regulation in the banking sector by giving the FSA [= F****** S****** A*******] the key role......As events of the past six months have forced many disclosures [albeit not nearly enough but SOME disclosures nonetheless], the evidence shows that far from making regulation a reality, Gordon Brown in fact abolished true regulation of the UK and related banking sector and that the so-called independence of the Bank of England too was a sham.....It is in this context again that KHOODEELAAR! ‘advising’ Brown to scrap Crossrail before the mud of abuse and waste and unnecessary debts and fraud come thick and fast and totally bury him and his name and his role and his claims in it......[To be continued]
TEXTS only reproduced on this AADHIKAROnline blog from the web site of the DAILY MAIL Media Group London on Sunday 26 April 2009
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1173566/Tessa-Jowell-offered-Olympic-cash-bid-family-friend-seat-parliament.html
Tessa Jowell 'offered Olympic cash in bid to get family friend seat in parliament'
By MILES GOSLETT
Last updated at 2:55 PM on 26th April 2009
Comments (47)
Add to My Stories
Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell is in the spotlight over an email from Georgia Gould
Labour was plunged into a fresh storm last night after a leaked email suggested that Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell promised money from the 2012 Games in exchange for the selection of a family friend as a General Election candidate.
Miss Jowell is accused of trying to 'bribe' party members in the Erith and Thamesmead constituency by telling them that if they selected Georgia Gould, the area would be in a good position to benefit from the £9billion Olympics budget which she controls.
In an email, written the day after the April 7 meeting, Miss Gould - the 22-year-old daughter of Tony Blair's poll guru Lord Gould - wrote: 'I hosted a great meeting last night for Tessa Jowell, the Minister for the Olympics. Tessa spoke with real passion about the opportunities for investment that will result from the Olympics.
'Tessa said it was the job of the local MP to fight for Erith & Thamesmead and for future investment ... She was kind enough to say that I was the right person to do this.'
Under Government rules, Ministers are banned from using Government resources for party political purposes.
Last night, Tory MP Douglas Carswell said he would write to Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell to demand an investigation into the allegations.
'Labour seems to have trouble distinguishing party political matters from official Government business,' he said.
'What was Ms Jowell doing talking about the potential benefits of the Olympic Games to this constituency at the same time as talking up her preferred candidate?'
Tory Philip Davies, a member of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport select committee, said: 'This sounds like a bribe to me. It's entirely wrong for the Olympics Minister to use the promise of Olympics investment as a tool to try to win a power struggle in the Labour Party.'
More...
MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: The workings of Labour's rotten clique
Even Darling thinks his Budget doesn't add up as relations with Brown hit all-time low
Government minister places 'substantial' met on Gordon Brown defeat at general election
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER: The last thing this country needs is a pirate raid on the wealthy (and don't lynch me because I'm a rich b*****d)
'We have to sort it! Take it or leave it!', Brown rages at Cameron during expenses meeting
Tory MP sues over Labour 'Smeargate' emails
SUZANNE MOORE: So poor James Blunt might become a tax exile. Pass the Kleenex
Miss Jowell is one of several senior Labour figures connected to the Gould family who have supported Miss Gould's bid to win selection to the safe seat in a deprived part of South-East London, including Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell. The contest has been dogged by a bitter dispute within the party, with accusations of attempted vote-rigging and claims that Miss Gould is exploiting her powerful political connections to secure victory over local candidates.
Leaflets handed out to publicise the meeting at a community centre in the constituency read: 'Come and meet Tessa Jowell MP (Olympics Minister) with Georgia Gould. Let's find out how we can use our proximity to the Olympics to get more activities for children and young people.'
Miss Jowell has repeatedly refused to confirm whether she attended the meeting, but a source who was there said: 'Tessa Jowell spent the first ten minutes talking about Georgia Gould, saying that she would make an excellent MP. She then spoke about the Olympics.'
Friends in high places: Georgia Gould pictured with Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell
Another source who was at the meeting said: 'She talked about jobs in the area. She said Georgia Gould was a strong character who would make a strong candidate.'
Sitting MP John Austin, whose impending retirement has triggered the selection battle, last night criticised Miss Jowell.
He said: 'I do not think it is appropriate for another MP to be involved in the selection process in another constituency. It should be a matter for local members.'
He has already made a formal complaint to Commons Speaker Michael Martin, alleging that Miss Jowell defied parliamentary convention by making the speech backing Miss Gould in his constituency without telling him.
He has also complained to Labour Party bosses about alleged rule breaches by campaigners encouraging members to sign up for postal votes.
The selection process was mired in controversy last weekend after a ballot box containing 95 postal votes was broken into at the party's headquarters in
London, and ballot papers torn.
It has also emerged that the home of the Labour official in charge of the ballot box, Mike Creighton, was burgled earlier this month, meaning he was away from the office dealing with the break-in when the ballot box was interfered with.
The email sent by Georgia Gould referring to a meeting at which Miss Jowell spoke
Although he confirmed the break-in, Mr Creighton refused to discuss the matter. Earlier this month, all Labour members and officials were ordered not to speak publicly about any aspect of the selection battle.
Several senior Labour figures have been actively campaigning for Miss Gould. As well as Miss Jowell, those who have either phoned local members or visited them include Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, former MP Stephen Twigg - who has been seen canvassing with Miss Gould - and former Labour general secretary Baroness McDonagh.
A senior Labour source said: 'The message that's been put out is that Georgia Gould is an influential person with influential friends and, because of that, she can deliver.'
Miss Gould, who graduated from St Catherine's College, Oxford, less than a year ago, is from one of Britain's most powerful political families.
Her father, Philip, was a spin doctor for ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock in the Eighties and later one of Mr Blair's key advisers in Downing Street. Her mother, Gail Rebuck, the chairman and chief executive of publishing group Random House, is also a prominent figure in Labour circles and reputedly secured Alastair Campbell a £1million deal for his memoirs.
At Oxford Miss Gould was chairman of the Oxford University Labour Club (OULC). One of her best friends was Nicky Blair, younger son of Mr Blair.
During her stewardship, in 2007, she lured a string of high-profile Blairite MPs to Oxford to speak at meetings, including David Miliband, Alan Milburn and Charles Clarke. Attracting speakers of such influence was unusual even by the relatively high standards of the OULC.
She also asked Alastair Campbell, a close friend of Lord Gould, to address the club's John Smith Memorial Dinner in 2007. One Oxford contemporary has claimed Miss Gould referred to him as 'Uncle Ally'.
In a bid to boost her chances of selection, it is understood that Miss Gould has enlisted the freelance help of members of staff who work for communications and strategy group BBM Consultants, of which Baroness McDonagh is a former director.
Shadow Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson said: 'If there is any suggestion that Tessa Jowell is using London 2012 for Labour Party political purposes this clearly breaks a series of very firm cross-party undertakings that have been in place since 2005.'
The London Games have been described by the Olympics Delivery Authority as the 'biggest regeneration project in Europe'.
But according to experts, the economic and structural benefits are most likely to be felt in those boroughs adjoining the Olympic Park in the Lower Lea Valley in East London.
For other London boroughs, including Erith and Thamesmead, the economic benefits are entirely dependent on what the London Mayor is able to inject into grass-roots sport.
Miss Gould confirmed last night that she had sent the email, adding: 'I've been advised not to talk to the Press so I can't comment. Clearly these allegations are nonsense but I can't get into a discussion. I'm really sorry.'
A spokesman for Miss Jowell and the Labour Party dismissed any allegations of wrongdoing.
Print this article Read later Email to a friend
Share this article:
Digg itDel.icio.usRedditNewsvineNowpublicStumbleUponFacebookMySpaceFark
View moreAdd your comments Comments (47)
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below?
The longer this lot are in power, the more this country gets like a banana republic. Apologies to the countries that actually grow bananas. I doubt we'd even organise that without a trough refill.
Click to rate Rating 366 - isabella, london, 26/4/2009 01:35
Par for the course for Labour. I'm not in the least bit surprised.
Click to rate Rating 316 - Pete, Manchester, 26/4/2009 01:34
Anything to do with this Labour Government does not surprise me anymore.
Click to rate Rating 319 - Graham Brekke, Cardiff, 26/4/2009 01:33
View moreAdd your comment
Name:
Email:
Your email address will not be published
Town & Country:
Your comments:
Make text area bigger You have 1000 characters left.
Remember me - this will save you having to type out y
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD BROWN AND DARLING SO! That they were involved in abusing the positions of power at the expense of the public...
0125 Hrs GMT London 26 April 2009:
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD BROWN AND DARLING SO! That they were operating a programme of unaccountable occupation of positions of power without any evidence of any objective rigour applied to the 'uses' and abuses of the powers... That they were heading therefor for the hole of their own creating... The latest evidential 'news' about the poverty-creation department's James Purnell serve to conform our warning and diagnoses...The crass conduct as reported about James Purnell typifies the deep hole of irresponsibility that has been dug in every single part of 'Government'.... Just how the Cameron lot hope to correct and repair all of that is a serious question for society and for the economy.......So KHOODEELAAR! will be going into an updater and an in-depth commentary on the poverty-creation scams that the Brown-fronted Blaired regime has been ‘running’.....
.[To be continued]
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/97114/EXCLUSIVE-Come-clean-minister-
EXCLUSIVE: COME CLEAN MINISTER
EMBARRASSING: Purnell’s flat looked like ‘a pigsty’ says his landlord
Sunday April 26,2009
By Julia Hartley-Brewer and David Jarvis
Have your say(1)
CABINET Minister James Purnell left his taxpayer-funded second home “looking like a pigsty” despite claiming more than £1,600 for cleaning and repairs.
The Work and Pensions Secretary abandoned the once-smart, £1,820-a- month apartment with wine stains on the wall, a grimy kitchen, rusty sink and filthy carpets which had to be replaced, according to his landlord.
Our pictures inside show the shocking state of the London flat when Mr Purnell and his girlfriend Lucy Walker vacated it.
Electrical wiring was exposed, the washing machine looked dirty, work surfaces were filthy, there appeared to be damp patches on the carpets and the walls were stained. Mr Purnell’s tenancy resulted in a bitter exchange of legal letters between his solicitor and the landlord’s lawyers over unpaid bills amounting to £4,000 for cleaning and repairs.
In one letter Mr Purnell’s lawyers admitted the flat had not been properly cleaned when he left.
But during his tenancy the Minister, tipped as a future Labour leader, claimed £1,050 for cleaning, averaging £100 a month, and a further £586 for repairs from taxpayer-funded expenses.
MUCKY: The filthy sink
Mr Purnell did not submit receipts for the cleaning and repairs as he was not required to do so for expenses coming to less than £250 until last year.
He also left a three-piece suite in the flat despite claiming a further £1, 541 in second home furniture allowance between 2004 and 2008.
When he eventually left the flat he forfeited his £2,520 deposit which the landlord used to pay a £2,587.25 decoration and repair bill.
According documents obtained by the Sunday Express he still owes £1,523.12. including £910.63 for alarm repairs, £307.74 for cleaning, £47.50 inventory charges and £190.00 for changing the locks.
Bachelor Mr Purnell, 38, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde in Greater Manchester, shared the third-floor flat with Miss Walker between 2004 and 2006.
The landlord claimed the carpets were beyond repair but didn‚t charge the MP for their replacement choosing instead to only charge him for their disposal.
The affair will be extremely embarrassing for Mr Purnell, who is the bookies‚ favourite to replace embattled Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
The Sunday Express revealed earlier this month (April) how Mr Purnell also charges the £400 a month for his household groceries, an expense which has cost the taxpayer £9,094 in the past five years.
SEARCH UK NEWS for:
He has claimed more than £145,000 in expenses for running his second home since he became an MP in 2001.
A source close to the company which managed the flat said: „He left the property in an absolutely dreadful condition. It looked like a pigsty.
„We were holding a deposit of about £2,500 but the total damage came in at £5,000.
„We had to have that whole flat deep cleaned and redecorated.
„There were red wine stains up the wall and coffee stains everywhere. There were big splash marks on the wall.
The lining wall paper had to be stripped and re-papered.
MESSY: The sitting room
„The kitchen sink was disgusting. It looked like it had never been cleaned for the duration of the tenancy.
„The kitchen floor was a rusty orange colour and it should have been white.
„I‚d be surprised if a Hoover had ever been switched on in that flat.‰
Mr Purnell‚s lawyers denied the landlord‚s claim that the property was damaged but accepted that it had not been cleaned before it was vacated.
The landlord has since taken no action to settle the outstanding bills.
A spokesman for Mr Purnell said: „There was a dispute between tenant and landlord which reached a conclusion a long time ago.
STAINED: A sideboard is very stained
„James felt frustrated that the landlord refused to return the deposit. He initially pursued the matter through legal channels but let it rest as the costs of fighting it further would far outweigh recouping the deposit.
„It‚s not true that he did not clean the flat regularly during his tenancy.
He had a long-standing arrangement with a professional cleaning company.‰
Mr Purnell‚s second home expenses show he claimed £1,820 in May 2006 to cover the rent on the flat, £1,210 in June 2006 and £1,310 in Oct 2006.
It is unclear why the amounts vary though it is thought Miss Walker may have made a contribution to the monthly rent which altered Mr Purnell‚s overall claim.
The couple moved into the duplex flat with a roof terrace overlooking Covent Garden in December 2004 though Mr Purnell moved out in December 2006, seven months before Miss Walker who stayed on until June, 2007.
In one letter to his landlord Mr Purnell‚s lawyer said: „Our clients accept that they did not clean the property when vacating on June 25, 2007.
„They do however reject any suggestion that there was damage to the property beyond „fair wear and tear‰ to an extent that total redecoration of the property was required.‰
After leaving the flat Mr Purnell moved to a flat in Islington and in 2007 moved again to another flat in Islington.
The Sunday Express revealed earlier this month (April) how Mr Purnell claims in full for his utility and council tax bills and has also claimed thousands of pounds for furnishing and cleaning his London home.
His £1,541 bill for furniture included £220 for a chair and £153.75 on bedding. The MP, who has a reputation as one of Westminster‚s snappiest dressers, also claimed £220 for a mirror. Mr Purnell submitted claims totalling £618 for kitchenware, £543 for electrical goods, including two televisions and £134.70 for lights for his flat.
Mr Purnell claims more than £20,000 a year in second homes allowances yet in the past five years he has submitted only one receipt, a £34.50 bill for a bouquet of flowers.
Since 2001, when he was elected as a Labour MP he has claimed more than £145,000 in expenses for running his second London home.
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD BROWN AND DARLING SO! That they were operating a programme of unaccountable occupation of positions of power without any evidence of any objective rigour applied to the 'uses' and abuses of the powers... That they were heading therefor for the hole of their own creating... The latest evidential 'news' about the poverty-creation department's James Purnell serve to conform our warning and diagnoses...The crass conduct as reported about James Purnell typifies the deep hole of irresponsibility that has been dug in every single part of 'Government'.... Just how the Cameron lot hope to correct and repair all of that is a serious question for society and for the economy.......So KHOODEELAAR! will be going into an updater and an in-depth commentary on the poverty-creation scams that the Brown-fronted Blaired regime has been ‘running’.....
.[To be continued]
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/97114/EXCLUSIVE-Come-clean-minister-
EXCLUSIVE: COME CLEAN MINISTER
EMBARRASSING: Purnell’s flat looked like ‘a pigsty’ says his landlord
Sunday April 26,2009
By Julia Hartley-Brewer and David Jarvis
Have your say(1)
CABINET Minister James Purnell left his taxpayer-funded second home “looking like a pigsty” despite claiming more than £1,600 for cleaning and repairs.
The Work and Pensions Secretary abandoned the once-smart, £1,820-a- month apartment with wine stains on the wall, a grimy kitchen, rusty sink and filthy carpets which had to be replaced, according to his landlord.
Our pictures inside show the shocking state of the London flat when Mr Purnell and his girlfriend Lucy Walker vacated it.
Electrical wiring was exposed, the washing machine looked dirty, work surfaces were filthy, there appeared to be damp patches on the carpets and the walls were stained. Mr Purnell’s tenancy resulted in a bitter exchange of legal letters between his solicitor and the landlord’s lawyers over unpaid bills amounting to £4,000 for cleaning and repairs.
In one letter Mr Purnell’s lawyers admitted the flat had not been properly cleaned when he left.
But during his tenancy the Minister, tipped as a future Labour leader, claimed £1,050 for cleaning, averaging £100 a month, and a further £586 for repairs from taxpayer-funded expenses.
MUCKY: The filthy sink
Mr Purnell did not submit receipts for the cleaning and repairs as he was not required to do so for expenses coming to less than £250 until last year.
He also left a three-piece suite in the flat despite claiming a further £1, 541 in second home furniture allowance between 2004 and 2008.
When he eventually left the flat he forfeited his £2,520 deposit which the landlord used to pay a £2,587.25 decoration and repair bill.
According documents obtained by the Sunday Express he still owes £1,523.12. including £910.63 for alarm repairs, £307.74 for cleaning, £47.50 inventory charges and £190.00 for changing the locks.
Bachelor Mr Purnell, 38, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde in Greater Manchester, shared the third-floor flat with Miss Walker between 2004 and 2006.
The landlord claimed the carpets were beyond repair but didn‚t charge the MP for their replacement choosing instead to only charge him for their disposal.
The affair will be extremely embarrassing for Mr Purnell, who is the bookies‚ favourite to replace embattled Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
The Sunday Express revealed earlier this month (April) how Mr Purnell also charges the £400 a month for his household groceries, an expense which has cost the taxpayer £9,094 in the past five years.
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He has claimed more than £145,000 in expenses for running his second home since he became an MP in 2001.
A source close to the company which managed the flat said: „He left the property in an absolutely dreadful condition. It looked like a pigsty.
„We were holding a deposit of about £2,500 but the total damage came in at £5,000.
„We had to have that whole flat deep cleaned and redecorated.
„There were red wine stains up the wall and coffee stains everywhere. There were big splash marks on the wall.
The lining wall paper had to be stripped and re-papered.
MESSY: The sitting room
„The kitchen sink was disgusting. It looked like it had never been cleaned for the duration of the tenancy.
„The kitchen floor was a rusty orange colour and it should have been white.
„I‚d be surprised if a Hoover had ever been switched on in that flat.‰
Mr Purnell‚s lawyers denied the landlord‚s claim that the property was damaged but accepted that it had not been cleaned before it was vacated.
The landlord has since taken no action to settle the outstanding bills.
A spokesman for Mr Purnell said: „There was a dispute between tenant and landlord which reached a conclusion a long time ago.
STAINED: A sideboard is very stained
„James felt frustrated that the landlord refused to return the deposit. He initially pursued the matter through legal channels but let it rest as the costs of fighting it further would far outweigh recouping the deposit.
„It‚s not true that he did not clean the flat regularly during his tenancy.
He had a long-standing arrangement with a professional cleaning company.‰
Mr Purnell‚s second home expenses show he claimed £1,820 in May 2006 to cover the rent on the flat, £1,210 in June 2006 and £1,310 in Oct 2006.
It is unclear why the amounts vary though it is thought Miss Walker may have made a contribution to the monthly rent which altered Mr Purnell‚s overall claim.
The couple moved into the duplex flat with a roof terrace overlooking Covent Garden in December 2004 though Mr Purnell moved out in December 2006, seven months before Miss Walker who stayed on until June, 2007.
In one letter to his landlord Mr Purnell‚s lawyer said: „Our clients accept that they did not clean the property when vacating on June 25, 2007.
„They do however reject any suggestion that there was damage to the property beyond „fair wear and tear‰ to an extent that total redecoration of the property was required.‰
After leaving the flat Mr Purnell moved to a flat in Islington and in 2007 moved again to another flat in Islington.
The Sunday Express revealed earlier this month (April) how Mr Purnell claims in full for his utility and council tax bills and has also claimed thousands of pounds for furnishing and cleaning his London home.
His £1,541 bill for furniture included £220 for a chair and £153.75 on bedding. The MP, who has a reputation as one of Westminster‚s snappiest dressers, also claimed £220 for a mirror. Mr Purnell submitted claims totalling £618 for kitchenware, £543 for electrical goods, including two televisions and £134.70 for lights for his flat.
Mr Purnell claims more than £20,000 a year in second homes allowances yet in the past five years he has submitted only one receipt, a £34.50 bill for a bouquet of flowers.
Since 2001, when he was elected as a Labour MP he has claimed more than £145,000 in expenses for running his second London home.