Prescott Questioned Anew
Conservatives have asked a representative to act as watchdog for the parliament concerning the involvement of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott with US tycoon Philip Anschutz.
Sir Philip Mawer, the Parliamentary commissioner for standards, has been asked to investigate whether the visit that Prescott paid to Philip Anschutz should have been declared. Sir Mawer had let on that as soon as he has conducted preliminary enquiries, he would be deciding if a recommendation for further investigation is required.
"I played no role with any planning decision relating to the Dome, or in any negotiations with Philip Anschutz for the sale of the Dome, which were carried out by Lord Falconer at the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and which were completed in May 2002," Prescott defended in a statement. He also said that he sought the counsel of his permanent secretary first on 'all details of the visit'.
The deputy prime minister has been placed in hot water when he and a number of his civil servants had a 'sleep-over' at the Colorado ranch of Anschutz's summer last year, during the group's official nine-day trip to the US. The US tycoon owns Anschutz Entertainment Group or AEG, the firm that runs the Millennium Dome. The Millennium Dome was handed to AEG in 2004 in return for a cut in future profits that will be generated from its use as an entertainment complex. The dome is one of the 8 short-listed locations where Britain's first super casino may be built, the final decision on which is expected to be handed out at the end of 2006. A spokesman says that a donation was made to charity after the visit.
Caborn has deemed it "absolutely disgraceful" when the conservatives asked whether Prescott's visit showed the ministers as being at "arms length".
"The deputy prime minister had no role in planning, had no role in negotiation and has had no role in the siting of casinos," the minister angrily told the MP's.
Another of the conservatives that has been putting pressure on Prescott for full disclosure is Shadow Culture Secretary Hugo Swire. Swire has written to Caborn saying that his statement "sits at odd with the actual facts."
Further inquiries by the conservatives have revealed that the deputy prime minister paid a visit to the Sydney Star Casino complex November of 2004. Allegedly, it was on 'official business' aimed 'to get a feel for what an establishment of that size was like' as accompanied by a'government relations officer'. The Cabinet Office made an attempt previously to hide the trip under the category 'regeneration site visit'.
"Admittedly it is difficult to work out what exactly Mr Prescott's current responsibilities actually are but it would seem that they certainly did, contrary to your bold statement include responsibility for some aspects of gambling legislation," Swire said in light of the recent developments. "If there has been a change in his responsibilities can you let us know?"
"Can you also take this opportunity to correct your earlier misleading statement in the House?" he added.
"My contact with Philip Anschutz relates solely to the use of the Dome post-sale in terms of the regeneration of the area and Mr Anschutz's interest in William Wilberforce, a former Hull MP and slavery abolitionist about whom Mr Anschutz is making a film as I am personally involved in the 2007 abolition bicentenary," Prescott defended in a statement.
