Westminster Scandal: Labour links ministers to sales strategy

TORY EMBARRASSMENT

Government embarrassment over Westminster was heightened by Labour naming in the Commons Chamber three past and present Tory ministers as being tied to the gerrymandering scandal.

Patricia Kirwan, the former chair of housing in Westminster and main whistle-blower to John Magill, the District Auditor, told him how the designated sales policy was born after a breakfast meeting between Dame Shirley and Sir Paul Beresford, then leader of neighbouring Wandsworth and current Environment minister.

In her evidence to Mr Magill, Ms Kirwan said: "One idea which came forward, following a meeting between Lady Porter and the leader of Wandsworth Council was to sell all council-owned properties in key wards as it was thought that owner occupiers were more likely to vote Conservative than council tenants."

Subsequently Ms Kirwan described that meeting as "the beginning of the designated thing."

Dame Shirley's admiration for Wandsworth was high. One of her own council's papers, "The Wandsworth Experience", says: "There is an immediate need to socially engineer the population in marginal wards."

Westminster's two local MPs were also aware of some of the council's policies, according to Ms Kirwan. Sir John Wheeler, a Northern Ireland minister and MP for Westminster North, is said by Ms Kirwan to have been present at a seminar which was on the homes for votes strategy. A critical document in the scandal, "Keeping Westminster Conservative", was, according to Labour sources yesterday, given out at a meeting held in Sir John's room at the House of Commons.

Sir John has previously said that he did not think that the council was doing anything improper.

Also said to have been present at the Commons meeting were Dame Shirley and Peter Brooke, then chairman of the Tory Party and MP for The City of London and Westminster South.

The document handed out listed designated sales as one of the ways to keep Westminster a Conservative council.

Mr Brooke was quoted yesterday as saying that he thought such sales were legal.