FOLLOWING swiftly on from Health Secretary Matt Hancock being found in court to have breached his legal obligation by not timeously publishing details of Covid contracts he signed, the Prime Minister has been accused of lying about other Covid contracts that have been published by the Good Law Project.
That Boris Johnson should have lied so blatantly and so casually will come as a surprise to no-one at all. That the vast majority of the mainstream media should accept or ignore this is also sadly predictable. It appears that being economical with the truth and institutional corruption are entirely acceptable for many who espouse the Conservative cause, and any accusation of blatant hypocrisy is merely acknowledged with an indifferent shrug of the shoulders or smug entitlement.
READ MORE: Ruth Wishart: Deafening silence from Scottish Tories over PM misleading Commons on Covid contracts
As the First Minister of Scotland is hounded by the press and the subject of venomous political attacks, it genuinely appears that the standard of parliamentary and moral behaviour is judged completely differently in Edinburgh than it is in Westminster. The Conservative government – as the recent hefty, taxpayer-funded pay-off to former Home Office permanent secretary Philip Rutnam shows – appears to have a different ethical code from its Scottish counterpart and ignores any pretence at whispers of breaking ministerial codes being relevant or worthy of consideration. Thus Priti Patel continues to leave behind her an assortment of tattered colleagues and departments, as well as a tattered reputation, in the assurance that she will retain her job regardless of her alleged appalling bullying.
READ MORE: Call for Downing Street transparency with refurbishment to cost 'over £200,000'
If anything sums up Tory priorities succinctly, it was hearing the recent news that whilst the heroes of the pandemic, our health workers, were being given a paltry 1% pay rise this year, at the same time our indolent Prime Minister was agonising over how to raise £300,000 to revamp a flat at Downing Street. Hypocrisy writ large.
Owen Kelly
Stirling
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