'Tory sleaze and cronyism now arguably worse than in last days of John Major'

22 January 2023 , 22:05

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Rishi Sunak was fined for not wearing a seatbelt in a moving car (Image: PA)

Back to the future then for the Conservatives with the stench of sleaze, political corruption and cronyism engulfing Rishi Sunak’s regime as corrosive as the pong that finished John Major the last time the Tories lost power.

Tax penalties, fixed penalty notices, dodgy financial deals, backscratching, bullying, security breaches and misuse of the RAF as a personal air taxi service is a return to 1997 with knobs on.

Because this lot are arguably worse than Major’s fallen with grubby behaviour viewed as perfectly normal by the guilty and Cabinet colleagues eagerly, nonchalantly pretending nothing’s wrong while basking in ignorance about terrible details.

The rot starts at the top with Sunak himself, following up a rule-breaking Covid fine with a £100 fixed penalty notice for not wearing a seat belt.

An unelected Prime Minister turning a blind eye to misdemeanours and daily breaking a promise not 100 days old to rule with “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level” isn’t fit for high office.

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Martin Rowson cartoon for the Mirror of the 'Tory Usual Suspects'

Wealthy Nadhim Zahawi, reportedly denied a knighthood after a rumoured £4.8million deal with HMRC over avoided tax including a penalty, was never transparent and used heavy legal threats against those investigating the current Tory chair and ex-Chancellor’s financial affairs.

BBC chair and Tory donor Richard Sharp would quit immediately if he genuinely cared about our greatest broadcaster when it was never acceptable to reportedly help fix an £800,000 cushion for Boris Johnson shortly before the chummy PM recommended him for the Beeb post.

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab? Accused of bullying - and now defending Zahawi. Home Secretary Suella Braverman? Sacked for security failures then rehired a week later for supporting Sunak. And so on and on and on.

Dominic Raab has been accused of bullying but insists he 'behaved professionally at all times' (PA)

No wonder Rachel Reeves went the full Trump by arguing Britain needed Labour to “clean up this mess, drain the swamp, because frankly it stinks”.

Every Tory under suspicion loudly protesting their innocence confirms that in the eyes of many, they’ve lost their legitimacy.

Sunak’s incompetent or malign. Either way this miasma will do to him in the 2020s what Tory sordidness did to Major in the 1990s.

Kevin Maguire