Osborne won't be investigated by the Standards Commissioner

Sir Buffy de Vere Spoofington, Bt

Quite right. I mean, if they'd investigated him, they might have found out that he'd done something wrong.

jimbo

Cameron has just said the BBC have serious questions to answer on the Prank Calls affair.

What a fool. He needs to stay focused on the economy and jobs. This is totally the wrong time to be talking about internal BBC processes. It will be the only thing the public hear from him this week.

BrianSJ

Given there was never an Osborne story here, perhaps you could move on too - or else 'work' for the BBC.
There is quite a lot happening at the moment one way and another.

David

"Cameron has just said the BBC have serious questions to answer on the Prank Calls affair."

And they do. When people are struggling to pay bills and worried about the economy, I'm sure they resent 'comedians' getting paid £6 million of their money ringing up pensioners with more of their money to leave illegal phone messages. And I don't see why it will be the 'only' thing people hear from him this week. It probably won't feature on PMQs tomorrow, you know...

BrianSJ

http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2008/10/28/17544/the-intriguing-case-of-talco-aluminium/
It would appear that Deripaska is not just broke but in a big legal case. He should have been on a watch list for Osborne to avoid. Looks like there is plenty of news in Mr Deripaska and his chums (including certain EU Commissioners).

David Lindsay

Sod the Standards Commissioner. This is a matter for the Police.

Can they investigate something that happened in Corfu?

If it relates to an actual, incited or conspired to crime in this country, then one would have thought so, yes.

After all, they investigate international fraud, international terrorism and international drug-trafficking, to name but three.

Andy Leeds

On Osborne there is nothing and never was anything to investigate. Compare and contrast Osborne's actions in detailing his contracts with Deripaska with those of Lord Mandelson who has been less than frank. Seems there is something to investigate here but it relates to another, not Osborne.

Ben Drown

It seems an odd world. Ofcom announces it is going to "probe" the Jonathan Ross/Russell Brand affair. What's to probe? Do they think there might be two accomplished impersonators who broke into Radio 2 one night and hijacked the airwaves? But on the other hand the Electoral Commission and the Standards Commissioner can both decide in advance that there is nothing to investigate when two politicians have dubious meetings with a dubious billionaire. I wonder why the public hold politicians in such contempt?

Hugh

Osborne and Deripaska

There is an alternative line to be taken on this affair. It is good that Osborne is making such contacts. It looks quite likely that he and Cameron will have to clear out the “Brownean” stables in due course, and as in in 1948 and 1979 after a prolonged period of Socialist mismanagement of the economy contacts among the gnomes of Zurich and New York can be valuable, and Deripaska's reputed strong links with Putin might be an additional benefit.

Let us not forget the witch hunt by our fourth estate is about appealing to emotions and selling their rags, and thank these boys for shouldering the burden.