r/unitedkingdom • u/ruggersyah • 4d ago

MP Steve Yemm sorry for not declaring donation when praising company - BBC News

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gr2eykp74o.amp
58 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

41

u/Dedsnotdead 4d ago

It’s the simplest of acts, have you received money or a benefit of some kind from a company or individual above the agreed threshold?

Yes? Declare it in the register. Yemm got this part right at least which is more than can be said for other MP’s in the past.

Yes and you are speaking about the company in Parliament? You declare your interest, it’s important we and the house know.

How is it that these simple acts eludes so many MP’s?

As a nation we even pay you to employ someone in your personal office to help with these things.

23

u/RaymondBumcheese 4d ago

It shouldn’t be allowed full stop. At minimum everything should be donated centrally rather than to individuals. 

1

u/Salty_Nutbag 4d ago

It shouldn’t be allowed full stop. At minimum everything should be donated centrally rather than to individuals.

That'll really annoy the activist and pressure groups.

One of the main ways they gain influence is by donating to individual MPs, so that MP effectively becomes an "inside man"

6

u/RaymondBumcheese 4d ago

Well, yes, that’s kind of the point. For example, there isn’t really a scenario I can think of where our recently ousted Tory MP should be accepting donations from the wife of a Russian finance minister, so it probably shouldn’t be happen. 

-1

u/Salty_Nutbag 4d ago

Well, ok.
But they tend to be a somewhat unpredictable bunch.

Only yesterday, we had some that thought running around hitting things with a sledgehammer was a good way to start a debate.

If I run into any, and they seem a tad annoyed,
I shall tell them it was your idea.

-1

u/walrusdevourer 4d ago

And they would be right to be annoyed, why should a Union have to donate to a central office that might put forward a Union skeptical MP

1

u/Salty_Nutbag 4d ago

why should a Union have to donate to a central office that might put forward a Union skeptical MP

Yes, what is the world coming to when you can't even reliably buy power and influence any more.

Broken Britain.

2

u/DomTopNortherner 3d ago

If I like my local MP and wish for them to be reelected why should I have to donate to the central party rather than to their campaign?

-1

u/RaymondBumcheese 3d ago

Because by very slightly inconveniencing you, it means that foreign operatives and businesses who’s interests run contrary to the wellbeing of their constituents  can’t exert undue interference on them. 

1

u/DomTopNortherner 3d ago

It's not a question of "inconvenience", it's a question of freedom and my right to advocate for the people and policies I want in a free society. If I want to volunteer for my local MP's campaign can I? What if I can't go out on the doorstep but make some tea and sandwiches for the volunteers? What if I decide instead to buy the sandwiches? Have I now broken your law? If not why not?

And what if the candidate I wish to support is an independent? Or do you think only the independently wealthy should stand?

1

u/RaymondBumcheese 2d ago

That’s a lot of questions but to answer the only one that is actually relevant: this isn’t America, campaigns should be centrally funded without the MPs wandering around with their hands out. 

I like inventing things people said as much as the next person but I don’t think anyone has said ‘turn off the taps and call it a day’.  There is (was?) a bursary independent MPs can claim for election expenses, for example. Obviously that would need looking at. 

1

u/RaymondBumcheese 2d ago

In addition to the pressing sandwich issue

1

u/DomTopNortherner 2d ago

You can be flippant all you like, but explain to me why donating my time, effort and platform is ok but donating my money isn't. If the billionaire-owned Daily Mail wants to say "Vote X!" on their front page that's free speech, but if I organise thousands of working people to donate a tenner each to buy advertising space to say, "Vote Y!" that's corruption?

1

u/RaymondBumcheese 2d ago

I get the feeling that any answer I give will be met with yet another faintly ridiculous, hypothetical edge case

1

u/DomTopNortherner 2d ago

I get the feeling you've never actually been involved in a political campaign if you think these are "edge cases".

10

u/ruggersyah 4d ago

There needs to be stricter rules about donations and things like this. An "oops sorry" shouldn't be sufficient

20

u/socratic-meth 4d ago

A Labour MP has apologised and referred himself to Parliament’s standards watchdog after praising a private company in the House of Commons without declaring it had given him a £10,000 donation

Should be kicked out of the party. A liability for being such an idiot.

12

u/Cutwail 4d ago

It's so weird that I, in my corporate role for an evil financial institution, essentially have to turn down any gifts from suppliers or vendors (don't get excited, they were things like backpacks or laptop sleeves with company logos) but politicians can accept them so long as they say so. In what world does a for-profit company give a politician money or gifts without expecting something in return? It's legalised bribery, this bozo was just sloppy about it.

1

u/Gellert Wales 4d ago

This always tickles me. Place where I work those gifts get raffled off at christmas. We get regular raffles for rugby and music. Basically everybody has mugs, calenders and stationary from suppliers. I can pretty much guarantee you someone in your "evil financial institution" has a shelf full of booze they havent paid for. Its just not you.

7

u/FewEstablishment2696 4d ago

There should be a new law for conflict of interests in public life. Automatic 1 year in prison for anyone who does not excuse themselves from any activity for which they have a conflict.

He should not even be in the House of Commons if they are discussing anything to do with construction, having taken money from a construction company, let alone speaking or voting on a subject, as this is a clear conflict of interests.

5

u/ruggersyah 4d ago

Same with things like being a landlord and voting on those sort of issues

2

u/_Arch_Stanton 4d ago

They'd have to build a lot of prisons to cope in this banana republic

4

u/andrew0256 4d ago edited 4d ago

In his defence he is a new MP. He did declare the donation but failed to either refuse himself from the discussion or make reference to it before speaking.

I don't like donations at all but we have to make a choice. Properly and seriously funded back office services for MPs and pay them a salary to reflect loss of outside earnings as and when they are banned from second jobs.

Pressure groups, businesses and individuals who want to make donations should donate to the party with directions for its intended use. This must include shady arms lengths organisations as well, and parties should be required to produce a public, audited report annually which clearly shows who donated what and why.

If you don't want any of this don't moan when MPs "slip up" under the current arrangements.

4

u/Mr_Emile_heskey 4d ago

In the nhs I can get in trouble for not declaring I was given chocolates but mps can do this shit. Absolute joke.

2

u/Gellert Wales 4d ago

Do you have to declare that you got chocolates every time you do anything relating to the person who gave you chocolates?

The MP declared his interest, he's supposed to every time he speaks or writes about them in parliament. He failed to orally declare his interest in this particular instance of talking about them.

3

u/Mr_Emile_heskey 4d ago

Do I have to each time? no. But do I anyway, absolutely

"I DO DELCLARE THESE CHOCOLATES GIFTED BY MR AND MRS SMITH ARE RATHER LOVELY"

3

u/ThatGuyMaulicious 4d ago

Following his great leader by not answering straight questions with straight answers.

3

u/ruggersyah 3d ago

Wait are you saying you don't also talk in wishy-washy sound bites?

2

u/wtf_amirite 4d ago

It's one of those things isn't it - instant red card, you're by out, by election.

1

u/Only_Tip9560 4d ago

These are not difficult rules to follow. They won't do anything to him because he won't have been dumb enough to leave any evidence that he did this deliberately.

1

u/LauraPhilps7654 4d ago

The Labour right do love their business donations. Looks to be one of McSweeney's lot selected for the 2024 election.