Peer calls for end of Cayman parliamentary group

| 03/06/2013

lord oakeshott.jpg(CNS): A senior Lib Dem peer has called for an end to the British parliamentary group whose stated purpose is  tofurther the interests of the Cayman Islands. Lord Oakeshott (left) told Radio 4's Today programme this morning, "Look at the Cayman Islands all-party group. Just see what this is all about. Just see who is running that and paying for that. That is not an appropriate way for Parliament to be used … in many cases these are front organisations for commercial interests. Close down the APG on the Cayman Islands and make them pay their tax." The UK media spot light is currently on APGs after MP Patrick Mercer was secretly filmed boasting to undercover journalists posing as business contacts that he could get a group of "free-loaders" to join an APG on Fiji.

The Sunday Times has also filmed three peers appearing to offer to be paid lobbyists for a fictitious firm. They told reporters an all-party parliamentary group could be set up as a lobbying vehicle for a fake South Korean solar energy company.

There is no suggestion of any wrong-doing by any members of the Cayman Islands group, which has its secretariat supplied by the Cayman Islands government and last met on 9 July 2012.

Amid the sleaze allegations, Lord Oakeshott, speaking on Radio 4, rubbished Nick Clegg's plans for cleaning up the UK parliament with a lobbyists' charter, comparing it to tackling malaria by spraying a bit of "disinfectant" around mosquitoes. "We have to clean out the stinking swamp which is particularly the House of Lords where there is the nasty whiff of dirty money the whole time," he said.

He also told the BBC that ordinary people “would be sickened by the sort of behaviour that goes on” in parliament, particularly in the House of Lords.

All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Cayman Islands

Related articles:

MP Patrick Mercer 'offered Commons security pass' (BBC 1 June 2013)

Lord Oakeshott urges radical reform of House of Lords (BBC 3 June 2013)

Close down Cayman Islands' access to Parliament, says peer (The Week 3 June 2013)

UK Lord says he has ‘mini ambassadorial’ role (CNS 9 April 2013)

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  1. mccarron mclaughlin says:

    I wish these people would start enlightening the people of the world on the 1 square mile of real estate call London City which has by far the most taxevasion going on right now on planet earth.

  2. Anonymous says:

    What "tax" is he talikng about? Doesn't this bloke know we already pay tax? Maybe he should sell off that idiotic title of his and donate to a good charity, cheeky fellow.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Cayman better watch out too, as the EU is forcing Andorra & others to introduce direct taxation: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22745895. They link no/low income tax to tax evasion, which is annoying & unjust, when they squander their tax revenue worse than we do!

  4. Anonymous says:

    Close the London Office too. It's a waste of money.

    • UK expat says:

      As Cayman has no presence in the UK Parliament, and they can and do pass laws affecting Cayman, it is only right and democratic that there is someway for Cayman's interests to be heard when laws are being passed that will affect the terratory.

      It seems to me that the Snr Lib Dem, is against democracy in his stance, which is ironic looking at the name of his party.

      • Anonymous says:

        Not as ironic asthe United Democratic Party which was neither united, nor democratic nor operating as a proper party.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Well thank God for this, "There is no suggestion of any wrong-doing by any members of the Cayman Islands group, which has its secretariat supplied by the Cayman Islands government and last met on 9 July 2012."