Today Lisa Nandy insisted that lobbying allegations made against Grant Shapps were ‘incredibly murky’, as Labour was accused of “throwing around” accusations against ministers.
Mr Shapps, a keen pilot who is said to have his own £100,000 aircraft, has been accused of fighting plans by his own Government to build homes on little-used airfields.
The Transport Secretary denies claims in Sunday Times that the Transport Minister’set-up & diverted public money to a new Civil Aviation Authority team in order to lobby against plans that violate airstrips.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, stated that Mr Shapps’ conduct’represents what appears not only to be a violation of the Ministerial Code, but also a complete breach of all standards of integrity or decency when in public office.
As Labour was threatened with a retaliatory accusation, Ms Nandy (shadow foreign secretary) was asked this morning to prove Labour’s claim.
Lisa Nandy insists today that the lobbying allegations levelled against Grant Shapps have been ‘incredibly murky,’ while Labour faces claims of “throwing around” accusations against ministers
Mr Shapps, a keen pilot who is said to have his own £100,000 aircraft, has been accused of fighting plans by his own Government to build homes on little-used airfields
The Sunday Times stated that objections made by the Airfield Advisory Team helped stop Homes England from building 3,000 homes on Chalgrove in south Oxfordshire. They also opposed plans to create a battery gigafactory near Coventry airport.
Officials from the Department for Transport (DfT), however, said that this team wasn’t a lobbying group and provided support to general aviation in a variety of issues affecting their operations.
BBC Radio 4 Today programme presenter Nick Robinson told Ms Nandy in an interview this morning that Labour had issued ‘extraordinarily strong words’ against Mr Shapps as he asked if the party has the evidence to back up its claims.
Ms Nandy said Labour and ‘most of the public’ are ‘absolutely fed up’ with the ‘series of revelations that are coming out about the Conservative Party’.
She added: ‘It seems that there are a number of members of the Cabinet who think that they can use their privileged position for private gain.’
Mr Robinson interrupted and said: ‘I asked you about a very specific complaint you made and having enough and being fed up and being cross and not liking Boris Johnson, well that comes with the job of wanting to replace him at the next election… but you are accusing an individual of “a complete and total breach of integrity and decency in public office”.
‘What evidence have you got that Grant Shapps has behaved in that way?’
Ms Nandy replied: ‘That is why we have asked for a further investigation but I think this is incredibly serious and I don’t think that we should downplay it as just somehow us not liking the Conservatives.’
Mr Robinson then said: ‘Are you saying a transport secretary is not allowed to say that what is referred to as the general aviation sector needs to be preserved? He established a unit in order to make sure that private airfields are maintained as part of his Civil Aviation Authority policy.
‘He is not involved privately, he has not been paid for this, he is not on the books of any particular company.
‘So I put it to you again, instead of saying can we take a look at this, you have declared in a letter from the deputy leader of the Labour Party that this is a total breach of standards of integrity. Where is the evidence?’
Ms Nandy replied: ‘I think this is incredibly murky. His department, under his watch and his authorisation is spending public money funding lobbying against some of the Government’s own stated objectives, whether that is housing or climate change.’
Mr Robinson asked if Labour needed to be ‘very careful of hyperbole’ and added: ‘Doesn’t politics just get damaged if people just throw around these allegations?’
Ms Nandy replied: ‘No, politics gets damaged when members of Parliament and particularly members of the Cabinet use their own privileged position whether that is public money or their own private finance in order to promote personal gain and that is the allegation in this case involving the Transport Secretary.’
The Transport Secretary is reported to own a £100,000 Piper Saratoga aircraft similar to the one above
Sources within the Government have denied that Mr Shapps was being lobbied against. They stated: “This body isn’t a lobbying body. It is an advisory body to general aviation for any problems, such as planning or other.
It isn’t anti-housing at all – in fact, sometimes housing can be used to finance an airport.
“As Secretary-of-State for Transport, it’s his responsibility to safeguard general aviation. In fact we have seen an increase in the number and quality of airports throughout the country.”
A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: ‘It is right that the Transport Secretary works to promote all aspects of the department’s brief including the general aviation sector, which contributes £4billion to the economy and supports 40,000 jobs, especially as we focus on our recovery from the pandemic and on building a diverse workforce that’s fit for the future.’
Before he was elected to Parliament, Mr Shapps holds a pilot’s licence.