Cayman Islands still waiting for news of OT minister
(CNS): Although Alistair Burt MP has been appointed as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, which would normally hold the portfolio for the territories, it is still not certain if the veteran Conservative MP will be the new Overseas Territories Minister. So far David Lidington, also a Conservative, and Jeremy Browne MP, a Liberal Democrat, have been appointed as Ministers of State. According to the FCO, a fourth appointment to the FCO under the new Foreign Secretary, William Hague, was expected Friday.
The new prime minster, David Cameron, had said the new government appointments would be made on Thursday. However, on Saturday there were still no details on the fourth minster for the FCO or the details of the portfolios that each would be managing.
Burt, who is currently in the equivalent post as that held by Chris Bryant, is looking the most likely to become the OT minster but the new coalition government could decide to reshuffle responsibilities and hand the dependent territories to one of the other three minster that will be serving in the FCO.
Alistair Burt, who is also a solicitor, had a minor role in the recent MP’s expenses scandal as a result of over claiming rent on his second home in London as well as charging expensive hotel bills to the public purse, including drinks and snacks from the mini bar and pay per view movies.
He entered Parliament for the first time in 1983 and is now the Member of Parliament for North East Bedfordshire. He started his political career as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for the Environment, for Education and Science and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 1985 -1990, he was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State then Minister of State, Department of Social Security, 1992 – 1997 and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition, 2002 – 2005. He was Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government 2005 – 2008 and then finally Opposition Assistant Chief Whip, 2008 – 2010. Burt is also Deputy Chair of the Conservative party.
David Lidington was elected to Parliament in 1992 and worked for BP and RTZ before spending three years as Special Advisor to Douglas Hurd in the Home Office and Foreign Office. During the UK Mps expenses scandal Lidington was named ‘Mr Clean’ literally after charging the taxpayer nearly £1,300 for his dry cleaning and personal toiletries.
His first political appointment was as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the then Home Secretary, Michael Howard, 1994 to 1997 followed by Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition, William Hague June 1997. Since then he has been Shadow Opposition Spokesman at the Home Office, Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Jeremy Browne was elected as the MP for Taunton Deane in 2005 for the Liberal Democrats for which he was the national press and broadcasting director during his first term in parliament he has been a shadow Liberal Democrat spokesman on foreign affairs and home affairs, and a member of the cross-party home affairs select committee, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury working with Vince Cable and he is on the advisory board of independent think-tank Reform. During the expenses scandal Browne was the first MP to challenge the demand for him to pay back money regarding the mortgage on his second home and was successful.
Category: World News
Sorry for the negative blog, but…
Whoever they shuffle or appoint, money will still talk, and British interest will still be over what the people of the Overseas Territories want.
I can guarantee that the next Minister will just be a continuation of the injustices of the Foreign Office and the exile of the Chagossians without a home.
I will be shock to see real positive change against "predatory capitalism" and the military industrial complex – also the wealthy elite using the BOT Islands for their own interest.
The same old sh…t!
I am a full taxpaying UK citizen who has been studying the fraudulent claims of UK MPs since the Conway scandal and the lack of any purposeful action by politicians to deal with the matter.
I note that the one UK parliamentary official determined to expose the scams, Ms Elizabeth Filkin, was rapidly ‘shown the door’ by British politicians and was hounded out of office.
I still find it disturbing that The Fraud Act 2006, especially those sections dealing with ‘fraud by false representation’, ‘fraud by abuse of power’ and ‘fraud by concealing information’ has apparently been disapplied to UK politicians! Am I the only UK citizen who has asked why a Theft Act has been used against the ‘minnows’ in the parliamentary expenses scandal and NOT the Fraud Act 2006 which came into force in January 2007?
Could it possibly be that the full deployment of The Fraud Act 2006 would have ensnared a far greater number of MPs of ALL political parties upto ministerial and shadow ministerial level……. and possibly above?
One last question:-
If I was a resident of The Cayman Islands, would I want anyone with a less than lily white reputation on matters concerning the misuse of public monies anywhere near the shores of my beautiful islands?
http://johnlbell.blogspot.com
John,
Compared to the crap that goes on every day here these guys are definitely whiter than white.
Tom