“Trust, once lost, could not be easily found. Not in a year, perhaps not even in a lifetime.”
– J.E.B. Spredemann
We learn today that yet another senior Tory failed to declare their financial connection with big business. Therese Villiers was the Environment Secretary in Boris Johnson's government between July 2019 and February 2020 and held shares in Shell worth over £70,000. Under the rules all MP’s have to register their financial interests
“…or any benefits which he or she receives, which others might reasonably consider to influence his or her actions or words as a Member of Parliament.”
The fact that it was the Secretary of State for the Environment, who failed to reveal her financial connection to Shell, makes the breaking of this rule particularly damning.
Putting aside Ms Villiers own financial interest in Shell, the Conservative Party accepted more than £1 million from the energy sector when Boris was in power.
“Under Johnson’s leadership, the Conservative Party has received a series of huge donations from the energy sector, totalling more than a million pounds since the 2019 general election." (opendemocracy: 01/11/21)
Rishi Sunak, in turn, accepted money from the energy sector to help fund his bid to become leader of the Conservative Party.
“Rishi Sunak accepted cash from fossil fuel investors in campaign to become PM. Donations from supporters with links to oil and gas helped fund new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Ready4Rishi leadership campaign."
It is probably coincidence, but
“Shell paid zero windfall tax in UK despite record global profits.” (Guardian:27/11/22)
And it is probably coincidence that Sunak is issuing hundreds of North Sea oil and gas licences for drilling despite the worsening climate crisis due to excessive CO2 emissions and dire warnings from climate scientists.
Returning to Ms Villiers, she has apologised for beaching the rules, claiming she had not realised her shareholdings were worth so much:
“Ms Villiers deeply regrets her failure to monitor the value of shareholdings and has offered her sincere apologies,” (Irish News: 11/08/23)
It must be very nice to be so well off that you don’t know you have a shareholding of over £70,000 in an oil company. Putting that aside, we have Ms Villiers assurance that nothing she did when Environment Secretary was influenced by her substantial shareholding in Shell, so that’s alright. Except of course it isn’t all right. Ms Villiers has previous.
In 2021 she was one of three Tory MP’s who were called upon to resign after trying to influence judicial proceedings.
“Three Tory MPs should be suspended over an "egregious" bid to influence judicial proceedings, the Commons Standards Committee has said. Sir Roger Gale, Theresa Villiers, Natalie Elphicke, Adam Holloway and Bob Stewart were found to have broken the rules by seeking to interfere in a legal decision regarding their former colleague Charlie Elphicke who was jailed for sexual assault last year.” (itvx:21/07/21)
What’s more, Ms Villiers is on record as stating:
“International law is a ‘political construct’ and breaking it is ‘routine’ (Independent: 14/09/20)
All laws are political constructs and it seems to me to be a very short step from “routinely” breaking international law to treating UK law with the same air of contempt. The fact that Ms Villiers has tried to influence judicial proceedings in favour of a friend, failed to declare her financial interest in Shell when she was Environment Secretary, and considers breaking international law to be the norm raises very serious questions concerning her probity.
Sunak had this to say to the British public:
“Trust is earned and I will earn yours”.
I’m afraid you haven’t earned mine Ms Villiers.
