Has the Stratford MP been naughty?

[rebbonk]

Former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi ‘pays millions to settle tax row’ after investigation

It comes after The Independent first revealed the inquiry into the Tory chair’s tax affairs last year


Former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi is said to have agreed to pay HMRC several million pounds in tax following an investigation into his financial affairs that was first revealed by The Independent last year.

The Tory chair has agreed to pay a seven-figure sum to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to settle a tax dispute, according to reports. Labour says there are now “serious questions to answer” for Mr Zahawi and the prime minister.

Source: Independent

The full story is worth a read.

[Lex]

It's not the first time he's been caught - he had to pay back some of his expenses a few years ago, because he 'didn't realise' he couldn't claim for an electricity bill.

[Lex]

Just had a read - the National Crime Agency & International Corruption Unit were involved. It seems he's been a very naughty boy.

[margaret]

He even looks corrupt up to his eyeballs!

And he was thankfully short lived Chancellor or the Exchequer and previously Secretary of State for Education! And I think Covid advisor , Health and social care!

Scary isn't it.

[rebbonk]

It is scary, Margaret.

IIRC he was also allegedly involved in some dodgy deal with a fuel tanker?

Yet, if you or I owe HMRC money they will hound you to death and even see you imprisoned over relatively small amounts.

Years ago, the Child Support Agency chased me. They had decided that I wasn't paying sufficient maintenance and increased it overnight by an enormous amount. I appealed their calculation and told them that they were acting illegally. They simply told me to pay up or they would get an attachment to my earnings. I did pay up but continued to protest. After about 10 years they finally admitted that I was right and they had acted illegally. I got most of my money back.

I wonder how many others were in the same position as me, but didn't fight things? I wonder how many took their own lives?

We have got the politicians we deserve. They aren't held to account, and people vote for them without thinking things through properly. Look at Zahawi, Johnson, Sunak, Hancock... Really, are any of them trustworthy? Would you buy a used car from them? The people have the power, it is up to them to wield that power and to purge the excrement from the political classes by not voting for them.

<gets down from soap box>

[Mister H]

Completely agree about the CSA, rebbonk, we never see or hear of those in quiet despair who blame themselves. I doubt politicians even read, far less understand, these mountains of laws they pass.
I am naive and actually believe that if you are in public office, you go in there as a duty, not as a career.
By making politics a career (which actually it isn't) you get careerists who will do or say anything to advance themselves, and the special interest groups they represent. This has an incredibly corrosive effect on public life, trust in public officials etc.
This Stratford individual seems to have a past shrouded in Middle Eastern mystery. How did he advance to far in politics? One can only suspect high-level, poss. spy agency dealings. Personally, I don't like even looking at him. I might turn to stone.

[rebbonk]

I doubt politicians even read, far less understand, these mountains of laws they pass.

I'm in complete agreement, Mr H.

This Stratford individual seems to have a past shrouded in Middle Eastern mystery. How did he advance to far in politics? One can only suspect high-level, poss. spy agency dealings.

The ME is one of the most corrupt places I have ever worked. Maybe you can take the man out of the ME, but not take the ME out of the man?

Zahawi might be a perfectly honest and upright individual, I don't know. But I personally wouldn't want to have dealings with him.

[rebbonk]

It's on cold nights like this that I wish I was one of Nadhim Zahawi's horses.

[rebbonk]

[Mister H]

Talking about corruption in the Middle East, I once went to Cairo one summer as a student, and the most popular word was "baksheesh" or money. We went one day up to Alexandria (Alex to the Eighth Army in WW2) a very beautiful place on the Med Coast. We were sipping very sweet Egyptian tea in a sort of kasbah place and suddenly everyone got up and ran to the road. Out of the dust the open top presidential limousine of Anwar El Sadat came by, and everyone started cheering. I gawped at the Leader as he beamed at everyone, seemed a very pleasant chap to me. He was of course assassinated a few years later.
Changing gears here, but I was always moved by the late John Peel describing his two encounters relating to the late JFK. He saw Kennedy in Chicago, and he actually came across and spoke to Peel, in the crowd asked him how he was etc, where he worked (he was a DJ) and then said laughing "you're not from here" Peel said No Sir, I'm from Liverpool' Kennedy nodded and laughed.Then two years later Peel was in Dallas and is actually caught on film the day of the assassination in the Dallas police dept watching as LHO is brought in handcuffed (its on You Tube).

[rebbonk]

[rebbonk]

The press seems to think that Zahawi's position as chairman of the conservatives is untenable. Raab has ridden to his defence, so I guess he's had it.

[Lex]

He's been all over the news over the last few days. Unfortunately, despite being caught a couple of times, he'll still get re-elected due to having a blue rosette pinned to his chest.

[rebbonk]

Oh, how embarrassing, he's been fired.

I might suggest that Sunak himself could come under scrutiny now with questions being asked about what he knew and when.

Zahawi might just be the domino that brings the others down.

[rebbonk]

He's been all over the news over the last few days. Unfortunately, despite being caught a couple of times, he'll still get re-elected due to having a blue rosette pinned to his chest.

Maybe not, Lex. I've just pulled this from the order-order website...

Nadhim Zahawi’s local association has just emailed members following Nadhim’s fall from grace yesterday, and it doesn’t read well for the embattled MP. Amid calls for him to resign from Parliament – admittedly spearheaded by the LibDems – the association flags the upcoming selection vote as per the party’s constitution, and ominously says “We look forward to campaigning and re-electing a Conservative MP for Stratford-on-Avon at the next General Election”. Notably not committing to Nadhim as their candidate…

[Lex]

There was an article, plus several letters, asking whether he should carry on as MP in last week's local paper. I voted for him when he first stood, but quickly realised what a c*** MP he is.