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Watch: MP grilled over Hunt’s anti-money laundering ‘blunder’

As the battle for second place in the Tory leadership contest has heated up in recent days, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has shown himself more than willing to go on the attack against the frontrunner Boris Johnson – to prove that Hunt should be the MP to face him in front of Tory members.

That strategy seemed to be repeated today, when one of Hunt’s backers, Sir Roger Gale, went on 5Live and used the opportunity to criticise Boris for a series of alleged ‘gaffes’ and ‘blunders’.

But Gale become rather unstuck when presenter Emma Barnett pointed out that his own candidate Hunt, had committed something of a blunder himself when it was revealed in 2018 by the Telegraph that he had broken anti-money laundering laws, by not declaring his interest in a property firm to Companies House.

Gale attempted to dismiss the criticism by saying that:

‘You and I both know that was a straightforward apology, for what was in fact a breach of a technicality. It wasn’t a serious offence.’

But then was grilled again, when it was pointed out that although Hunt had forgotten to declare his massive investment, he had remembered to claim 27p from the taxpayer for a journey in 2016.

At which point Gale said that Barnett was being ‘incredibly petty’, before attacking Boris once again, over his comments about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Mr S isn’t sure it’s quite the campaign strategy Hunt needs to get through to the next round…

Watch here:

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Steerpike
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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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