Sheffield Forgemasters - First whiff of Tory Sleaze

[Gromit]

A Government loan to Sheffield Forgemasters to save jobs was cancelled by the new Government. Now it has been disclosed that a rival firm lobbied the Conservative business Minister to get the loan cancelled, and that the rival firm had donated substantial money to the Tories coffers.

// Tory donor lobbied Government to cancel £80m loan to rival firm

A major Tory donor lobbied the Government to cancel an £80million loan to a rival steel firm, it was disclosed.

Last night, the Government was coming under increased pressure to publish full details of the decision to halt the loan to Sheffield Forgemasters, which was agreed under Labour to protect jobs.

Labour MPs reacted with anger after it emerged that, only weeks earlier, Tory donor Andrew Cook wrote an email to Mark Prisk, the business minister, and claimed it was "probably unnecessary and possibly illegal under EU rules".

He also stressed that he had been "the largest donor to the Conservative Party in Yorkshire" since Mr Cameron became Tory leader in 2005. //

http://www.telegraph....an-to-rival-firm.html

Looks like the Tories are carrying on where they left off from 13 years ago.

[jake-the-peg]

Well I have to say I always thought that loan was on dodgy legal ground.

Imagine you were running a company and your competition were being propped up by the government - you wouldn't be very happy about it would you?

[Davethedog]

They always were the party of sleeze. I had hoped the Hamilton thing had sorted them out.

If the coalition fails I have a feeling they might be in trouble.

[mushroom25]

I have had the misfortune of meeting Andrew Cook. He comes across as a total sleazebag.