'Keith Vaz, Labour chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said the migrant situation was the "biggest crisis" facing Europe.He said migrants were trying to reach the UK because "it's the country they think they can work in illegally".'
'Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz greeted the first flight from Romania as it landed at Luton airport on Wednesday morning. '
"There is nothing progressive about a government that consistently spends more than it can raise in taxation and certainly nothing progressive that endows generations to come with the liabilities incurred with respect to the current generation."
"Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, leapt to Lady Scotland's defence, but said everyone in public life had a duty to obey the law.Keith Vaz and integrity are not renowned bed-fellows.
He said she was a person of "the highest integrity" who had been an "excellent" Attorney General. "
"KEITH VAZ
Anne, from Leicester, queried a claim of £3,525 made by Leicester East MP Keith Vaz for 42,000 2008 calendars in October 2007. She was wondering if this is linked to a claim made a month later for the postage of 36,209 items at a cost of £1,756, suggesting they were early for Christmas. We've put the claim to Mr Vaz's office but they are yet to make a statement. "
"Mr Vaz reportedly claimed £75,000 for a Westminster flat although his family's home is 12 miles away in Stanmore.
He said that he had acted within the rules. He added that his designated home was in his Leicester constituency, the Westminster flat was his second home, and he made no claims for the home in Stanmore where his family lives. "
"Vaz under pressure over 28-day query
Emails suggest Prime Minister was approached in advance of publication of independent report
...
Keith Vaz, the chairman of the home affairs select committee, sought the private views of Gordon Brown for an independent report into government plans to extend the detention of terror suspects beyond 28 days.
Emails which have been seen by The Observer suggest that the MP for Leicester East spoke secretly to the Prime Minister about the committee's draft paper and proposed a meeting because 'we need to get his [Brown's] suggestions'.
The disclosure has deeply concerned committee members and civil liberties campaigners. Select committee reports are supposed to be compiled independently of government influence.
Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, said: 'This email is obviously cringeworthy - a "Yo, Blair!" moment - but the real concern is a select committee chairman seeking the Prime Minister's suggestions for an independent report. Judges deciding cases don't email one of the parties in private seeking their suggestions on the eve of their decision.'"
"Gordon Brown is under pressure to reveal whether Keith Vaz, the influential head of a Parliamentary Committee, has been offered a peerage or honour in return for backing the Government’s controversial counter-terrorism measures.
The Daily Telegraph has seen a private letter sent by chief whip Geoff Hoon to Mr Vaz expressing an expectation that his former ministerial colleague will be “appropriately rewarded” for backing the measure to hold terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge.
Mr Vaz is the Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee. He was previously opposed to the plans but later offered his full backing. He made a major speech during the debate on the proposals which is thought to have won over some backbench MPs. Securing his backing was seen as crucial by the Government.
Amid rumours of a peerage or knighthood, Mr Vaz was asked in Parliament during the debate the day before the vote whether he had been offered an honour for his support. He said: “No, it was certainly not offered—but I do not know; there is still time.”
In the handwritten letter sent on 12th June 2008 – the day after the key vote - Mr Hoon writes: “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.”
The Prime Minister has been accused of offering rebel backbenchers a series of deals in exchange of their votes but the chief whip’s letter may provide the first hard evidence that rewards were potentially available to those supportive of the plans.
Mr Brown won the key vote by just nine votes after securing the support of the Democratic Unionist Party. Shadow Home Secretary David Davis resigned and accused the Prime Minister of debasing Parliament in the way the legislation was pushed through. "
"Senior officials in the Labour party, including Gordon Brown, could become personally liable for millions of pounds in debt unless new donors can be found within weeks, the Guardian has learned.
The party has five weeks to find £7.45m to pay off loans to banks and wealthy donors recruited by Lord Levy, Tony Blair's former chief fundraiser, or become insolvent. A further £6.2m will have to be repaid by Christmas - making £13.65m in all. The sum amounts to two-thirds of the party's annual income from donations.
The figures are a conservative estimate as they do not include interest that will also have to be paid. A Labour source said that although the total debt was listed as £17.8m on the Electoral Commission website, the true level, with interest, was nearer to £24m.
The possibility that party officials and members of its national executive committee could become liable is being taken seriously by union leaders, and has been underlined by the decision of equity fund chairman David Pitt-Watson not to accept the post as Labour's general secretary.
Though he was Brown's candidate for the post, he declined the offer after receiving independent legal advice that he would be personally liable for repaying the loans and could be bankrupted if Labour's finances collapsed.
The advice from City solicitors Slaughter and May said unequivocally that leading party officials and members of the NEC would be " jointly and severally" responsible for the party's debt.
The reason is that the Labour party constitution is framed like a local club or society, and has no provision for limiting the liability of its officials or managers.
A Labour source said: "The party's constitution is like a five-a-side football club, or the local cricket club. The big difference is that the most club officials and managers could expect to have to fork out is an unpaid bill for hiring the pitch. In Labour's case, it's tens of millions of pounds."
The advice was the sole reason why Pitt-Watson, a committed Labour supporter and former Westminster City councillor, turned down the job this month.
But the reverberations inside the party have been enormous. Earlier this month the GMB union's executive decided to indemnify its two members on the NEC - Debbie Coulter, the union's deputy general secretary and a former Labour party conference chairwoman, and Mary Turner, GMB's president - to protect their homes and savings. A GMB spokesman told the Guardian: "They told the executive they would not continue to sit on the NEC unless they were indemnified. It's too much a risk for them."
As leader of the party and a member of the NEC, Brown is also potentially vulnerable. Other prominent members of the committee are Harriet Harman, the deputy leader; her husband, Jack Dromey, the party treasurer; Pat McFadden, minister of state at the department for business; Angela Eagle, exchequer secretary at the Treasury; Dawn Primarolo, public health minister; and former ministers Keith Vaz and Janet Anderson.
Anderson said last night: "I am very concerned and we should look into the situation immediately. If this is the case, I can't see how anyone, unless they are very wealthy or are indemnified, like in the case of the GMB, can serve on the NEC. I can't see who would want to be general secretary following this advice."
The party's financial plight can be shown by the current negotiations taking place with banks and donors.
The Co-operative bank, whose £2.61m loan is due to be repaid on June 30, has told the party it wants its money back, even though it is getting 7% interest. The bank has asked the unions to offer loans to Labour so the party can pay its debt, but some are refusing to do this. Paul Kenny, the GMB's general secretary, has told the Co-operative bank it will refuse to help unless the bank withdraws its de-recognition of the union, which represents staff at Co-operative Funeral Services.
Three other loans are due to be repaid on June 30 and July 1. They are a £1.54m loan from Unity Trust bank, also at 7%; a £1m loan at 6.75% from Nigel Morris, founder of the Capital One financial group, and £2.3m from Sir David Garrard, a property developer. He had already extended the loan by 15 months from April 2007.
Labour is hoping that the donors can be persuaded to extend the loan period. Sir Richard Caring, owner of the Ivy and Caprice restaurants, has agreed an indefinite extension of his £2m loan, due to be repaid last March. He has agreed to give 180 days notice if he wants it repaid.
The party's financial crisis could be compounded this autumn. Three of the biggest unions, Unison, the Communications Workers Union and the GMB have tabled motions at their annual conferences next month calling for members to disaffiliate from Labour. If this goes ahead, Labour would lose £4m of its £19m a year in donations.
The Labour party is said to be investigating whether it can change its status to a limited liability company to protect its officials and NEC members - but such a move could be open to legal challenge until it clears its debts."
