Keith Vazeline, MP: who's blown him and why now?

[Paul Rigby]

The eminent Blairite MP, Keith Vazeline, a serial establishment toady, veteran of too-many-conflicts-of-interest-to-bore-you-with*, and self-styled washing machine salesman, is exposed in today's Sunday Mirror as a parliamentarian with an unusual dedication to Eastern European relations - and proposed changes to legislation governing prostitution. The full salacious details are below, and hugely enjoyable they are, too:

Married MP Keith Vaz tells prostitutes in his flat: 'Bring poppers' ... 'We need to get this party started'

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mar...ls-8763805

Given that Vazeline has long exuded not only extreme unctuousness, but the air of a twisted boarding school housemaster, the question is why MI5 - and the Mirror group is predominantly an Orangeman's paper by long tradition - has decided to terminate his career at this time, rather than much earlier. I ask the question because it seems safe to assume that Vazeline's predilection for pale youths has long been known to the Tory Party's covert wing.

Here is part of the reason why he was protected:

Home Affairs Select Committee

Vaz was elected Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, replacing John Denham, on 26 July 2007. He was unusually nominated to the Committee by government minister Harriet Harman, Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal, rather than by the quasi-independent Committee of Selection which, under the Standing Orders of the House, nominates members to select committees.[29] Harman argued that this was because there was not sufficient time to go through the usual procedure before the impending summer recess. The Chairman of the Committee of Selection told the House that the Committee had been ready to meet earlier that week, but had been advised by the Government that there was no business for it to transact.[30] Vaz was re-elected to the Committee's chairmanship in June 2015.[31]

Speculation over Counter-Terrorism Bill

Vaz's backing for the 42-day terrorist detention without charge "was seen as crucial by the Government."[32] During the debate on 10 June 2008, the day before the key vote, Vaz was asked in Parliament whether he had been offered an honour for his support. He said: "No, it was certainly not offeredbut I do not know; there is still time."[32] The Daily Telegraph printed a hand written letter to Vaz, written the day after the vote, Geoff Hoon wrote:

"Dear Keith... Just a quick note to thank you for all your help during the period leading up to last Wednesday's vote. I wanted you to know how much I appreciated all your help. I trust that it will be appropriately rewarded!... With thanks and best wishes, Geoff."[32]

Vaz wrote to the Press Council complaining the story was inaccurate, that the letter had been obtained by subterfuge and that he had not been contacted before the story was published. The complaint was rejected as the article made it clear that the reports of an honour were just speculation which Vaz had already publicly denied.[33]

Conflict of interest

In September 2008, Vaz faced pressure to explain why he failed to declare an interest when he intervened in an official investigation into the business dealings of a close friend, solicitor Shahrokh Mireskandari, who has played a role in several racial discrimination cases against the Metropolitan Police, and who was representing Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur in his racial discrimination case against Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Ian Blair.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority began an investigation into Mireskandari's legal firm, Dean and Dean, in January 2008 after a number of complaints about its conduct. Vaz wrote a joint letter with fellow Labour MP Virendra Sharma to the authority's chief executive, Anthony Townsend, in February 2008 on official House of Commons stationery. He cited a complaint he had received from Mireskandari and alleged "discriminatory conduct" in its investigation into Dean and Dean. The Authority was forced to set up an independent working party to look into whether it had disproportionately targeted non-white lawyers for investigation.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Vince Cable said that Vaz should make a public statement to clear up his role in the affair. "It is quite unreasonable that an independent regulator should have been undermined in this way. I would hope that the chairman of the home affairs select committee will give a full public statement."[34]

Detention without charge inquiry

In July 2007, Vaz was appointed chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee. Select committee members are usually proposed by the Committee of Selection, but Vaz was the only nomination made by Commons Leader Harriet Harman.

In September 2008, Vaz came under pressure when it was revealed that he had sought the private views of Prime Minister Gordon Brown in connection with the Committee's independent report into government plans to extend the detention of terror suspects beyond 28 days. The Guardian reported that emails suggested that Vaz had secretly contacted the Prime Minister about the committee's draft report and proposed a meeting because "we need to get his [Brown's] suggestions". An email was sent in November 2007 to Ian Austin, Gordon Brown's parliamentary private secretary, and copied to Fiona Gordon, at the time Brown's political adviser. Another leaked email showed that Vaz had also sent extracts of the committee's draft report to the former Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, for his comments; according to Parliament's standing orders, the chairman of the Select Committee cannot take evidence from a witness without at least two other committee members being present.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, compared it to a judge deciding a case privately emailing one of the parties to seek their suggestions.

Vaz denied that he invited Brown to contribute, except as a witness to the committee.

*Source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Vaz