The former Chief Executive of the SMMT dropped me an email by mistake the other day. He made a quip about ministerial cars that I suspect was aimed at my friend, Tom Harris. I only assume that it was for Tom because he was fulsome in his praise from my leadership skills and ability to run a department. Five minutes later, I got an email apologising and explaining that the message was not intended for me!
Despite the unintended slight, I suspect the gentleman might have a modicum of respect for my choice of new junior ministerial car. The vehicle is assembled by British workers, has great environmental prowess – doing more miles to the gallon than most company cars and is a modern design icon. Can’t wait for the mini to arrive.
19 comments ↓
Now, I want to be around the first time you get in the back seat of that!
does it have a Union Jack on the top?
I doubt that the email was for Tom Harris, as he didn’t run a dept. Not only that, he clearly didn’t run the sub-section of his former dept that dealt with rail (he knows rail better then his former dept, but it didn’t filter down). And that sub-section of the dept doesn’t exactly have a recent glorious record. There has been a bit of a turnround this year on some topics, when it had to begin to admit that its rail White Paper was not exactly right, but its still saying things that we know are meaningless and sometimes not true. I cringed when I read in a Terms of Reference document for an internal study “Ensure that the review process is open and transparent to all stakeholders” because, despite ongoing for many months, that study hasn’t done that. There is another similarly opaque study ongoing there now…
Love it! I’ve got an old ini city, so would wholeheartedly agree that a mini is a fantastic choice for negotiating London traffic!
BTW _ did you catch Lord Mandelson’s reference to you and your mini during his evidence to the BERR select Committee yesterday?
Toward the end of the session. You can see it here:
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=2566
Sx
“Fuel efficient?” Bet your GCDS driver doesn’t drive it like my missus drives hers
PS – That British car is sending money home to its German parents. But don’t let that spoil a good story. John
The 4,700 assembly workers in Cowley, the engine builders of Hams Hall and the engineers in the Black Country building parts will not worry too much about that John.
According to wikipedia, your soft top BMW Z4 is made in Spartanburg, South Caronlina in the USA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Z4
I know exactly where Z4’s are made. But I’ve never pretended to fly the union flag over it. And, of course, I did pay for it myself.
On a wider point, if we had injected cash into the midlands car industry 8 years ago as quickly and as generously as we bailed out the banking spivs earlier this month there might be more jobs (and choices of cars to buy) for large numbers of people.
[...] Cabinet Office Minister gets a chauffeur-driven Mini. "Cabinet Office Minister Tom Watson has become the first member of the Government to take delivery of a chauffeur-driven MINI Cooper D for official duties." Links to more on this story here :- The Mini Minister: Who needs a Jag? How one Cabinet minister is happy to do his part for the environment | Mail Online Minister chooses Mini as his official car | Politics | guardian.co.uk Cabinet office – new junior minister gets a mini – built by British workers | Tom Watson MP [...]
[...] Cabinet Office Minister gets a chauffeur-driven Mini. "Cabinet Office Minister Tom Watson has become the first member of the Government to take delivery of a chauffeur-driven MINI Cooper D for official duties." Links to more on this story here :- The Mini Minister: Who needs a Jag? How one Cabinet minister is happy to do his part for the environment | Mail Online Minister chooses Mini as his official car | Politics | guardian.co.uk Cabinet office – new junior minister gets a mini – built by British workers | Tom Watson MP [...]
It was just that you appeared to be making a point that buying British assembled cars was a pointless exercise. I happen to think it important.
My understanding of your financial situation is that you have three income streams – the council allowance of around £25,000 for chairing a scrutiny committee, consultancy fees from your work in local government and a pension received from the Fire Brigade after retiring in your thirties. Nice work.
And unless your brand of socialism is the kind where people barter for food and produce, keeping the banking system stable is essential for the manufacturing sector you choose to ignore in your consumption of goods and services.
You continue, by a fair margin, to be the most unpleasant and bitter individual I have ever met in 25 years of membership in the Labour Party. Why don’t you just move on and have a happier life?
Oh dear, I think I’ve poked a miserable bear with a sharp stick. You couldn’t be any nastier if I’d taken away your free lunches and nicked your copy of the John Lewis catalogue. And thanks for the amateur psycology, but please be assured I’ve rarely been happier.
The serious point here Tom is your problem in being held to account for your brand of politics or any of the decisions you’ve taken since you were elected.
You think you can indulge youself in rotten decisions like Iraq, and treachery like the Blair episode, but you see questions from Party members any more serious than “how are the kids” or “fancy a curry” as subversive. It is an elitism that afflicts many politicians eventually, but with you it has set in very early.
And politicians who are only comfortable in the company of sycophants are usually headed for a strange place where no real people live.
It’s nice to know that true bloodied socialists like John Edwards can afford to buy BMW Z4s. Some of us out fighting for the cause have to make do with our bus passes to get from delivering one set of leaflets to the next and I highly doubt I’ll be retiring any time before I’m 70 either. Sit back and take it easy though eh John?
James, Don’t get over excited comrade- my car is worth less than a second-hand Ford Focus. And I’ll be working ’til I’m 70 too, though I hope to cut down a little on my current average of around 60 hours a week. See you on the leaflet trail. John
Glad you’re happier than I thought John. Is that because I’d forgotten three more of your income streams?
The dividend of 70K plus you share as one of the three directors of PEP Ltd and the property you rent out in Oldbury. No wonder you’re working 70 hours a week.
According to companies house PEP Ltd made nearly a million quid in profits last year and as it appears all its staff work as subcontracted “consultants” just how much on top of his remunerated directorship pay does comrade Edwards actually claw in as he’s one of these “consultants” too?
It goes without saying that you’re wrong on what I do for work and what I get paid. But I guess anyone apart from the Inland Revenue is less than interested in that anyway.
You’re right on basic allowances and special responsibility payments from Sandwell Council, as you should be because that detail, down to the last penny, is published in the press every year. Unlike MP’s of course, from whom similar information has to be prised with the FOI. Why don’t you get ahead of the game and publish your pay and expenses?
And are you aiming you vitriol at all members of the Labour Group who receive similar allowances? If so, you do a diservice to many colleagues of yours who work long and hard at difficult jobs in local government.
You have slipped into the gutter of politics Tom, lying face down looking at what runs beneath. How about trying to deal in politics not personalities?
You’re so sad Richard: Answers-
1. PEP is a not-for-profit Limited Company
2. PEP Directors are all unpaid and always have been
3. No dividends or “bonuses” are paid to anyone, including Directors, and never have been.
There now, take your medicine and relax. And then tell us all what you do for a living.
John
That’s strange John because according to your company’s financial report and I should have said we’re talking 2006/7 as the last financial year there are records for there is an entry for Directors Remuneraton to the tune of £71,000. Your company has 4 directors but one only joined last month so at that time and please correct me if I’m wrong there were 3 directors of which you are one.
Unless the dictionary definition of “remunerated” has suddenly changed that equals directors got wages, salary or benefits on some sort so unless your company renumerates you in chocolate eggs then your claim that all directors are unpaid doesn’t seem to make sense. That is of course assuming that your fellow directors aren’t getting remuneration and you aren’t but you claim no director gets anything. Incidentally the remuneration for the 2005/6 year was £148,000 but I don’t believe you were a director then were you?
Your company does however have £141,000 in assets which are classified as its share value so someone owns these shares and they do have a marketible value just who owns them however is not clear, is it the directors?
Your turnover, the money your company makes adds up to £958,000. Taking off your “cost of sales” of £395,000 you have a gross profit of £563,000 which well I don’t quite get where that goes because there’s no record of paying staff salaries nor paying any tax but you end up with an operating loss of £15,000.
I can only assume that your companies is structured whereby each person who does work for it is registered self-employed and all this money goes out of the company to staff working as free-lance consultants otherwise where else does it go?
According to your own companies website you work as a consultant for the company you’re a director of and there is at least one account of you working on a project with the North West Leicestershire Tenants and Leaseholders Consultation Forum. So are you telling us that all you consultants do all this work and don’t charge a penny to the various local authorities and housing associations up and down the land? That would be very charitable of you.
Final thought, if you’re a director of PEP do you get to choose how much you pay individual consultants for their work and if you do consultation work for your own company, does that mean that you get to set your own rate of pay?
Leave a Comment