'ERMINEGATE' ENGULFS THE LABOUR PARTY IN SCOTLAND.
QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT FUTURE OF LORDS FOULKES, MOONIE & WATSON.
MSP IAIN GRAY POWERLESS TO ACT.
Reports in several Sunday newspapers have ensured that the 'Erminegate' issue has engulfed the Labour Party in Scotland with revelations that:
* Labour MSP Lord George Foulkes is facing a Holyrood investigation into his work as a lobbyist in the House of Lords after it was revealed a Scottish academic has complained to Holyrood's standards watchdog about Lord Foulkes' financial arrangement with a law firm.
* Around half the parliamentary questions tabled by Lord Moonie, a close friend of Gordon Brown, relate to areas of commercial interest to US-based Northrop Grumman Corporation - a company to which Lord Moonie is retained as a "non-parliamentary" consultant since July 2007. Lord Moonie did not ask any parliamentary questions in his first three years as a peer.
* Reforms are being drawn up by Jack Straw, the UK justice secretary, which will expel members of the House of Lords who have criminal convictions. This includes Lord Mike Watson.
Commenting these latest reports SNP MP Angus MacNeil, who instigated the investigation into the Cash for Peerages scandal, said:
"The Erminegate issue is engulfing the Labour Party in Scotland. These latest revelations coming out of the House of Lords – involving George Foulkes, Lewis Moonie and Mike Watson – further damage Labour's credibility north of the border in what was already a bad week for them.
"And the fact that Iain Gray is powerless to deal with the Scottish Labour party's Lords also damages his credibility as a supposed Scottish party leader.
"The House of Lords is unelected, unaccountable and now completely unbelievable. These latest revelations also make the House of Lords unsustainable.
"The sleaze allegations levelled at these Labour Lords are as serious as they can be.
"The coincidences do not look good. There must be a full independent investigation by Standards authorities into these reports and a complete and immediate end to political consultancy by members of the Lords.
"Unfortunately it is no surprise to find that members of the House of Lords are more interested in helping themselves and big business than protecting the public interest."
QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT FUTURE OF LORDS FOULKES, MOONIE & WATSON.
MSP IAIN GRAY POWERLESS TO ACT.
Reports in several Sunday newspapers have ensured that the 'Erminegate' issue has engulfed the Labour Party in Scotland with revelations that:
* Labour MSP Lord George Foulkes is facing a Holyrood investigation into his work as a lobbyist in the House of Lords after it was revealed a Scottish academic has complained to Holyrood's standards watchdog about Lord Foulkes' financial arrangement with a law firm.
* Around half the parliamentary questions tabled by Lord Moonie, a close friend of Gordon Brown, relate to areas of commercial interest to US-based Northrop Grumman Corporation - a company to which Lord Moonie is retained as a "non-parliamentary" consultant since July 2007. Lord Moonie did not ask any parliamentary questions in his first three years as a peer.
* Reforms are being drawn up by Jack Straw, the UK justice secretary, which will expel members of the House of Lords who have criminal convictions. This includes Lord Mike Watson.
Commenting these latest reports SNP MP Angus MacNeil, who instigated the investigation into the Cash for Peerages scandal, said:
"The Erminegate issue is engulfing the Labour Party in Scotland. These latest revelations coming out of the House of Lords – involving George Foulkes, Lewis Moonie and Mike Watson – further damage Labour's credibility north of the border in what was already a bad week for them.
"And the fact that Iain Gray is powerless to deal with the Scottish Labour party's Lords also damages his credibility as a supposed Scottish party leader.
"The House of Lords is unelected, unaccountable and now completely unbelievable. These latest revelations also make the House of Lords unsustainable.
"The sleaze allegations levelled at these Labour Lords are as serious as they can be.
"The coincidences do not look good. There must be a full independent investigation by Standards authorities into these reports and a complete and immediate end to political consultancy by members of the Lords.
"Unfortunately it is no surprise to find that members of the House of Lords are more interested in helping themselves and big business than protecting the public interest."
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