Scandal enveloping Defence Minister Liam Fox

I confess, I am none too sure what this is about:



Beyond it is growing by the day:

Fox Apologises For 'Mistakes' Over Friend
79Comments
7:57pm UK, Sunday October 09, 2011
The Defence Secretary has apologised for the nature of his working relationship with a former flatmate but insisted that Adam Werritty did not have access to any classified information at the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

In a statement Liam Fox accepts "that it was a mistake to allow distinctions to be blurred between my professional responsibilities and personal loyalties to a friend".
He understands that: "I should have taken much greater care to ensure that meeting's with Adam Werritty, at which defence and security-related issues were raised, were properly attended by officials and recorded."
And as regards a meeting with businessmen in Dubai, allegedly brokered by Mr Werritty, he said he accepts "that it was wrong to meet with a commercial supplier, without the presence of an official".
Dr Fox denied that any classified material or briefings were given to him, nor assistance in his commercial work.
But he said: "Nevertheless, I do accept that given Mr Werritty's defence-related business interests, my frequent contacts with him may have given an impression of wrongdoing, and may also have given third parties the misleading impression that Mr Werritty was an official adviser rather than simply a friend."

More at:

http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16085421

All sorts of rumours are flying round about this. Personally, I have zero interest in Fox's private life.

I hope he gets the boot and is replaced by a minister who DOESN'T run UK armed forces into the ground.

And he's gone:

http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16089261

'Sorry' Liam Fox Resigns As Defence Secretary
28Comments
Liam Fox has resigned as Defence Secretary, his office has confirmed, amid allegations he broke the ministerial code.

He had come under intense pressure after mounting claims his friendship with lobbyist and businessman Adam Werritty breached the rules.
In his resignation letter to Prime Minister David Cameron he said he had "mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my Government activities to become blurred".
His statement continued: "The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days.
"I am very sorry for this.
"I have also repeatedly said that the national interest must always come before personal interest.

"I now have to hold myself to my own standard. I have therefore decided, with great sadness, to resign from my post as Secretary of State for Defence - a position which I have been immensely proud and honoured to have held."
He also paid tribute to the Armed Forces and said he was "honoured and humbled" to have worked with him.
Dr Fox said he would continue to serve his constituents in North Somerset which confirms he is not expected to leave politics and will remain on the backbenches.

David Cameron's letter to Dr Fox, accepting his resignation, said he understood Dr Fox's reasons but is "very sorry to see you go".
The Prime Minister had said he would wait until an investigation into Dr Fox's conduct, by Downing Street's most senior civil servant Sir Gus O'Donnell, was complete.
Sir Gus' report seeks to clarify whether Mr Werritty profited from his links to Dr Fox and how he funded attending 22 of the then-Defence Secretary's foreign trips.
Labour's shadow Jim Murphy said it was clear rules had been broken.
More follows...

I suspect glasses will be raised in a good few messes as that news spreads.

It was the only thing he could do, Bonny. Who was he trying to kid?

any of you take yr "best friend" to work with you?

Well, no, most people grow out of 'best friends' at school, don't they?

I personally couldn't care less if he had a harem of 'friends'; what I do care about is an oily little barsteward like him being in a position to throw Armed Forces personnel onto the dole - for what? More money for his oily barsteward banker best friends?

bb1 wrote:Well, no, most people grow out of 'best friends' at school, don't they?

I personally couldn't care less if he had a harem of 'friends'; what I do care about is an oily little barsteward like him being in a position to throw Armed Forces personnel onto the dole - for what? More money for his oily barsteward banker best friends?

He was your defense minister
How safe was your country with him in charge

crazytony wrote:

bb1 wrote:Well, no, most people grow out of 'best friends' at school, don't they?

I personally couldn't care less if he had a harem of 'friends'; what I do care about is an oily little barsteward like him being in a position to throw Armed Forces personnel onto the dole - for what? More money for his oily barsteward banker best friends?

He was your defense minister
How safe was your country with him in charge

Good question, Tony.

Not very, Tony. Put it this way - if someone like him had been Defence Secretary during the Cold War, everyone would have assumed he was a Kremlin sleeper.

Not on this topic but related is this.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/2011/10/14/oliver-letwin-caught-throwing-away-secret-papers-in-public-bins-115875-23487379/

Oh, in the name....I was reading that, and thinking, Forty years ago, he would have been suspected of using a 'dead letter drop' when I saw this in comments:


nooneuknow
12:47 PM on October 14, 2011


Has it not crossed anyone mind, that this is a letterbox drop, for intelligence agency's.

A independent investigation needs to be taken on this Immediately, and Letwin sacked ? for a man of his level, this is wrong in so many ways.

Its stinks of spying !

Seen this?

http://tompride.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/oliver-letvin-a-russian-spy/

bb1 wrote:Seen this?

http://tompride.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/oliver-letvin-a-russian-spy/

Brilliant.

Those headlines are very interesting, Bonny.

This could get very messy indeed:

Look forward to reading that, Bonny.