{"id":479345,"date":"2022-01-21T11:42:27","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T11:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/?p=1545438"},"modified":"2022-01-21T11:42:27","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T11:42:27","slug":"even-a-cabinet-minister-thinks-claims-of-blackmailing-mps-should-be-investigated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/01\/21\/even-a-cabinet-minister-thinks-claims-of-blackmailing-mps-should-be-investigated\/","title":{"rendered":"Even a cabinet minister thinks claims of \u2018blackmailing\u2019 MPs should be investigated"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"speechkit-player\"><\/div><p>A cabinet minister has said an investigation should be carried out into \u201ccompletely unacceptable\u201d allegations of Tory critics of Boris Johnson being blackmailed into supporting him.<\/p>\n<h5>The &#8220;bottom of the matter&#8221;<\/h5>\n<p>Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said ministers \u201cneed to get to the bottom of the matter\u201d but that he believes it is \u201cvery unlikely\u201d the claims made by colleagues are true. These &#8220;very unlikely&#8221; claims have elsewhere been described as the way &#8220;the whipping system has always worked&#8221;:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"SmO8jIEzsr1N7wBvn23QPq6Z\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Like it or not, threats to career progression\/ dishing the dirt is the way the whipping system has always worked. <br \/>But threatening to withdraw constituency funding would be of totally different order.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PippaCrerar\/status\/1484127730513940482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 20, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Senior Tory MP William Wragg said critics considering triggering a no confidence vote in the prime minister were receiving threats to \u201cwithdraw investments\u201d from constituencies, as well as \u201cintimidation\u201d from No 10 staff. Wragg, the chair of the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, said the threats could amount to \u201cblackmail\u201d and urged colleagues to report them to the police. Wragg has been accused of attention seeking by culture minister Nadine Dorries:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"Tsgk3Sc1DxCQPfXr9KJNhIvbd8U\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I\u2019m a Celebrity\u2019s Nadine Dorries is killing satire by accusing fellow MP William Wragg of \u201cattention seeking behaviour\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Ms Dorries ate a camel\u2019s toe, ostrich anus and cattle genitals to be on TV.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Wragg complained of blackmail, bribery and bullying.<br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ktn8rzIkNz\">https:\/\/t.co\/Ktn8rzIkNz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Maguire\/status\/1484245032823574535?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 20, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START Image --><\/p>\n<figure id=\"embedded264819070\"><img src=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/5de6f67d8683c9c620d50b963a62273eY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjQyODExNDY5\/2.64819070.jpg?w=640\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/5de6f67d8683c9c620d50b963a62273eY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjQyODExNDY5\/2.64819070.jpg?w=320 320w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/5de6f67d8683c9c620d50b963a62273eY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjQyODExNDY5\/2.64819070.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/5de6f67d8683c9c620d50b963a62273eY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjQyODExNDY5\/2.64819070.jpg?w=1280 1280w\" alt=\"Boris Johnson\" data-title=\"Boris Johnson\" data-copyright-holder=\"PA Wire\" data-copyright-notice=\"PA Wire\/PA Images\" data-credit=\"Stefan Rousseau\" data-usage-terms=\"\" \/><figcaption>Prime minister Boris Johnson is continuing to deny claims Tory critics are facing \u2018intimidation\u2019 which could amount to blackmail (Stefan Rousseau\/PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- EMBED END Image --><\/p>\n<p>Christian Wakeford, the Bury South MP who defected from the Tories to Labour, said he was threatened with funding for a new school in his constituency being withheld if he did not vote with the government over free school meals.<\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START Image --><\/p>\n<figure id=\"embedded264838417\"><img src=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/65ed2c328575e20d8160056a2eeb09b5Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjQyODExNTkw\/2.64838417.jpg?w=640\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/65ed2c328575e20d8160056a2eeb09b5Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjQyODExNTkw\/2.64838417.jpg?w=320 320w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/65ed2c328575e20d8160056a2eeb09b5Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjQyODExNTkw\/2.64838417.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/65ed2c328575e20d8160056a2eeb09b5Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjQyODExNTkw\/2.64838417.jpg?w=1280 1280w\" alt=\"William Wragg\" data-title=\"William Wragg\" data-copyright-holder=\"PA Media\" data-copyright-notice=\"PA Media\" data-credit=\"Parliament TV\" data-usage-terms=\"PICTURE DESK USE ONLY. NO SALES\" \/><figcaption>Conservative MP William Wragg (Parliament TV\/PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- EMBED END Image --><\/p>\n<h5>Kwarteng claims he has &#8220;never heard anything like this&#8221; in British politics<\/h5>\n<p>Kwarteng told <em>Sky News<\/em>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>As far as the specific allegation about whips withholding funds, I think that\u2019s completely unacceptable. Any form of blackmail and intimidation of that kind simply has no place in British politics.<\/p>\n<p>We need to get to the bottom of the matter. But I find it very unlikely that these allegations are true.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The business secretary said Wakeford\u2019s \u201cvery serious\u201d allegation has so far been \u201cunsubstantiated\u201d. He told <em>BBC Radio 4\u2019s Today<\/em> programme:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I\u2019m sure it will be investigated if it\u2019s not being so already \u2013 after 12 years as an MP I\u2019ve never heard anything like this.<\/p>\n<p>Having been an MP for 12 years I\u2019ve never heard of anyone making a threat, certainly not to me or to anybody else of that kind, doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not true.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He also described Wakeford, who was elected to Bury South in 2019 on a wafer-thin majority, of having \u201cessentially turned coat\u201d in switching to Labour. Labour MPs, meanwhile, have welcomed Wakeford&#8217;s arrival &#8211; even when that went against previous opinions they&#8217;ve expressed:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"2rJCqPFKdkLS5DAMeoEfth9muHy74jlsX8IWBTxa3nvpicQR1bwG\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Charlotte Nichols has principles &#8211; and if you don&#39;t like them she has other principles. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5rnS4kIN46\">https:\/\/t.co\/5rnS4kIN46<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EFIogbz8tW\">pic.twitter.com\/EFIogbz8tW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dr David Jeffery (@DrDavidJeffery) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrDavidJeffery\/status\/1483835603401719817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 19, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, meanwhile, has suggested that a democratic by-election would not be how &#8220;our democracy works&#8221;:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"5RArLzTsPXkUC56bWmYJgBJfn3M3p1hVrD4HvsDEKjAajeu0Hx8WulqoOIySOZSl89tKFYpdiw9PobczF20cyUaRIx\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rachel Reeves says \u201cIt isn\u2019t Christian Wakeford\u2019s values that have changed, it\u2019s the Conservative party\u2019s values that have changed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Given this guy was voting to drive kids into poverty all too recently, where does that leave us? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vOqo9x3Qqd\">https:\/\/t.co\/vOqo9x3Qqd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Owen Jones <img src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/13.0.1\/72x72\/1f339.png\" alt=\"\ud83c\udf39\" class=\"wp-smiley\" style=\"height: 1em; max-height: 1em;\" \/> (@OwenJones84) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OwenJones84\/status\/1484078030029049861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 20, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Whether it&#8217;s allegations of blackmail or switching parties without an election &#8211; one thing is certain &#8211; this is not how a functioning democracy should work.<\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START StreamAMG --><\/p>\n<p>By <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/author\/thecanary\/\">The Canary<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/uk\/2022\/01\/21\/even-a-cabinet-minister-thinks-claims-of-blackmailing-mps-should-be-investigated\/\">The Canary<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng could not rule out the allegation from a former Tory MP, but said it could be an attempt to \u2018discredit\u2019 ministers.<\/p>\n<p>By <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/author\/thecanary\/\">The Canary<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1541,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41135,5625,361,15193,1834,40644,5594,1395],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479345"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1541"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=479345"}],"version-history":[{"count":148,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":493892,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479345\/revisions\/493892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=479345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=479345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=479345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}