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Boris Johnson says he will publish text messages to James Dyson
PM promised he would ‘fix’ tax issue for James Dyson so firm could help build ventilators
Boris Johnson has said he will publish his text messages and “make absolutely no apology” for the exchanges with businessman James Dyson promising to “fix” tax status for the firm to help build ventilators.
Keir Starmer accused the government of “sleaze, sleaze, sleaze” after leaked texts from Johnson promised that the pro-Brexit billionaire’s employees would not have to pay extra tax if they came to the UK to make ventilators during the pandemic.
Johnson pledged: “I will fix it tomo! We need you. It looks fantastic.”
The prime minister then texted him again, saying: “[Chancellor] Rishi [Sunak] says it is fixed!! We need you here,” according to the BBC.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/apr/21/boris-johnson-says-he-will-publish-text-messages-to-james-dyson
Boris Johnson has said he will publish his text messages and “make absolutely no apology” for the exchanges with businessman James Dyson promising to “fix” tax status for the firm to help build ventilators.
Keir Starmer accused the government of “sleaze, sleaze, sleaze” after leaked texts from Johnson promised that the pro-Brexit billionaire’s employees would not have to pay extra tax if they came to the UK to make ventilators during the pandemic.
Johnson pledged: “I will fix it tomo! We need you. It looks fantastic.”
The prime minister then texted him again, saying: “[Chancellor] Rishi [Sunak] says it is fixed!! We need you here,” according to the BBC.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/apr/21/boris-johnson-says-he-will-publish-text-messages-to-james-dyson
If overhyped millionaire inventor Dyson hadn't skedaddled abroad along with his company after he backed Brexit, this controversial exchange would never have needed to happen.
Since the "Ministerial Code", self-policed by Johnson, is just a shallow veneer over vast amounts of shady deals and graft at high levels of government, it's unlikely anything much will happen as a result of this latest kerfuffle apart from the continual degrading of trust in the government, which for some reason doesn't appear to affect the Tories in polling.
Starmer and what passes for an opposition at Westminster face another in a series of open goals. Since the media look like they're unwilling and incapable of promoting and sustaining public pressure over the many recent revelations of cronies' deals with high-level Tory backers, including ex-prime minister Cameron, I've no idea what recourse is left to those of us who continue to look on in anger and disgust.
We have our votes, and some of us are lucky enough to live in places where they may have some serious impact, but that may not be enough to make much difference to the most corrupt administration Westminster's ever seen (and that's saying some).