The Greensill revelations fit a pattern of Conservative cronyism. Labour should fight it hard
There is a danger that Boris Johnson will spin this as something general – a flaw in the system, a crisis for politics itself – thereby blinding us to what is in front of our noses: the return of Tory sleaze. Though even that word is too mild. The sleaze stories of the 1990s are dwarfed by this week’s revelations, which suggest not only serial abuse of office by a former Conservative prime minister, but a pattern of corruption at the heart of this Tory government.
The evidence was mounting up already. The communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, rushing through an “unlawful” planning decision benefiting property developer and Tory donor Richard Desmond, saving the former porn publisher £45m in local taxes. A fast-track for those with friends in high places, allowing the well-connected to jump the queue when the PPE procurement contracts were handed out early in the Covid crisis, so that companies with no relevant experience – but a bulging contacts book – landed contracts worth hundreds of millions. Jennifer Arcuri, Johnson’s former lover, receiving £126,000 in public money, some of it from London’s City Hall while Johnson was mayor. Priti Patel breaking the ministerial code, yet holding on to her job while the official who reached that verdict is out of his – leaving the post vacant, which means behaviour by ministers has gone unscrutinised for five months.
