Arise Sir Beaker Alexander

Sir Danny Alexander

Beaker Throws Hissy Fit

 

Beaker Alexander has thrown a hissy fit today, wrt his comments about alleged Tory child benefit plans, as it has finally dawned on him that he will lose his seat next week.

Question Re Danny Beaker Alexander

Does anyone really believe that the £77M that Beaker Alexander is puffing himself up over is new money outwith HMRC's budget, or simply being skimmed from other parts of HMRC's existing budget?

Ed Lester Steps Down - A Question For Beaker

Exaro reports that Ed Lester is stepping down from his post following the tax avoidance scandal:

"Ed Lester is to stand down as chief executive of the Student Loans Company, Exaro can reveal. It follows the furore over how the senior public official was paid through his personal-service company – with no tax deducted at source.

A spokeswoman for the Student Loans Company (SLC) confirmed that Lester has decided to leave when his contract runs out next January."

The question that now needs to be asked of Beaker Alexander is will the other 2,400 "off payroll" civil servants be also stepping down?

People In Glass Houses

Congratulations to Chris Leslie, Labour's shadow treasury spokesman, for inadvertently outing one of his own.

Leslie was quite vociferous this weekend when he took the "moral high ground" and told one of Murdoch's papers that Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, “should have known better” than to accept £1,500 worth of hospitality at last month’s Bafta celebrations in these austere times.

However, as the Telegraph points out, Leslie neglected to check that no one from his side of the House had also enjoyed some of the free hospitality.

Step forward Harriet Harman, the shadow culture secretary, who along with her chief of staff also attended the awards dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel (vale £1,300).

Advice to Leslie:

"People in glass houses..etc".