A FORMER SNP MP has said the scale of corruption in the UK Government “should be a concern for us all”.
Roger Mullin, former MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, hit out at the Tory Westminster government’s long list of corruption and sleaze scandals amid calls for an Anti Corruption Authority to be established.
It came as SNP members debated a topical motion on the issue, which also called for a police investigation into cash for honours allegations in the House of Lords.
The UK Government has been embroiled in sleaze allegations after the Owen Paterson scandal, where Tory MPs attempted to rip up the standards rule book to save Paterson from a 30-day suspension after it was found he breached lobbying rules.
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This sparked a furious backlash from the public, a screeching U-turn from the Tories and weeks of revelations of Tory sleaze.
SNP members debated the resolution, which read: “Conference, in light of recent events ranging from reports from Transparency International to corrupt parliamentary practices emanating from Westminster, calls on the Scottish Government to add its voice to calls for the creation of an Anti Corruption Authority for the UK.
“Looking to the future, Conference believes we should seek to have such an authority as part of our plans for an Independent Scotland.
“Conference also recognises the need for an urgent police investigation into cash for honours, and reiterates our Party’s call to abolish the House of Lords.”
Mullin, (pictured above) proposing the motion, told delegates that it would be a mistake to see corruption as a “function of some greedy individuals” as the issue is more “serious and systemic”.
Noting the recent revelations that Matt Hancock had been involved in an affair with Gina Coladangelo from July 2019, and then she was subsequently hired by the Department of Health in 2020 on a salary of £15,000 per year, Mullin said it was an example of “the abuse of political power, sex and the corrupt awarding of government contracts”.
He added: “The shocking thing is, it isn't shocking anymore.
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“There are innumerable examples of MPs including Sajid Javid, in the words of the journalist Ian Fraser, cashing in on their links to private health firms.
“This is corruption with a direct bearing and public policy.”
Mullin then called for an anti corruption body independent of the UK Government to “lead a drive against corruption”.
He added that the “scale of corruption in the UK should be a concern for us all”
The resolution passed overwhelmingly with 389 votes for and three against.
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