Prescott under police investigation re: Albion decision

[Lord Bracknell]

From Monday's Times:-

Prescott faces new inquiry over link with developer
By Rajeev Syal

JOHN PRESCOTT came under renewed scrutiny yesterday after it emerged that he had visited the office of a wealthy property developer before giving planning permission for a £50 million building project.

The Deputy Prime Minister opened the offices of Adenstar Construction, a property company owned by Derek Chapman, in 2002, The Sunday Telegraph reports. In October Mr Prescott overruled the advice of two planning officers to give the go-ahead for Mr Chapman, a director of Brighton and Hove Albion, to build an all-seater stadium for the football club in the village of Falmer, near Lewes, East Sussex.

The disclosure will increase pressure on Mr Prescott to resign. He is due to take charge of the country this week, when Tony Blair goes on holiday, despite continuing controversy over his links to Philip Anschutz, the US billionaire who owns the Dome.

He may also be interviewed by police investigating allegations of corruption.

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, said that he was concerned that Mr Prescott may have used his ministerial position to obtain planning permission for someone that he knew.

“It is very unusual for someone as senior as the Deputy Prime Minister to agree to open the offices of a small property company that few have heard of,” he said.

“It is eye-popping to then find out that the Deputy Prime Minister has later overruled two planning inspectors by giving consent to the stadium built by the same company,” he said.

Mr Chapman, 48, a director of the club for the past seven years, paid £500,000 for a 13 per cent option in the club seven years ago, and a further £500,000 for an option to tender for the stadium contract.

Permission for the stadium was withdrawn in April this year, however, because Mr Prescott had made a wording error in his approval letter. Lewes District Council will attempt to reverse the decision in the High Court in December.

Mr Prescott and Mr Chapman have denied any wrongdoing or discussing the planning application. A spokesman for Mr Prescott said that the Deputy Prime Minister had attended the office opening routinely to present an award. Mr Chapman could not be contacted yesterday.

 

[Mr Burns]

Mark my words, nothing will come of this. That oily slimley piece of shit will never leave the goverment until he's ready.
What he's got away with so far, can only mean one thing IMO.

That he has a hold so powerful over the PM that if he went, Tony Bushy Blair would certainly go with him.

What ever he's got over the PM must be good. Why else would Blair continue to support this embarrasment?

 

[London Irish]

These are uncomfortable headlines for us, Baker is playing his hand in the opportunistic manner we have come expect from him - but this bad publicity effect will be temporary.

Although it didn't quite seem so at the time, in many ways it has proved a useful thing for us that Prescott was sidelined at the last reshuffle - Baker will have a far tougher task pinning crap on a clever technocrat like Ruth Kelly.

 

[Screaming J]

The BBC story is a bit clearer. Looks like Baker has reported Prescott to the Police reharding CowboyGate

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5229790.stm

Has Baker has thrown in Falmer for good measure when briefing journalistsf for political gain ?

That's my opinion too; see thread I posted on this yesterday a.m.!

http://85.234.132.19/showthread.php?s=&threadid=81367below

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

Also; the judicial review is not taking place on the grounds that Prezza had been to Adenstar's offices. I bet Baker advised Lewes councillors to ask their lawyers to check this one out -- and the fact that it's not one of the Lewes Sixteen Points of Doom is good news for us.

Remember -- Baker has had a vendetta against Prezza for a long time; going back longer than the Falmer case. He wants to do to him as he did to Mandelson.

There's no denying, though, that it's bad PR for us. Derek Chapman's "I think Norman Baker's a wanker, and you can quote me on that" in the Guardian will probably not help.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Build a bonfire and put Baker and Prescott in the middle and burn the F*cking lot.....

 

[Southy]

Also; the judicial review is not taking place on the grounds that Prezza had been to Adenstar's offices. I bet Baker advised Lewes councillors to ask their lawyers to check this one out -- and the fact that it's not one of the Lewes Sixteen Points of Doom is good news for us.

Remember -- Baker has had a vendetta against Prezza for a long time; going back longer than the Falmer case. He wants to do to him as he did to Mandelson.

There's no denying, though, that it's bad PR for us. Derek Chapman's "I think Norman Baker's a wanker, and you can quote me on that" in the Guardian will probably not help.

Chapman does us no favours with all his comments about opponents of Falmer being tree huggers and saying when he sees green land he wants to concrete it. There is a difference in being pro Falmer and being anti development on greeen land for its own sake or for private companies to build yet another pointless supermarket and I count myself firmly in that camp.
To be honest I'm sick of all these oppurtunists using the Albion for their own gain and egos and I include Chapman in that. Derek Chapman is a wanker and you can quote me on that.

 

[countrygull]

Norman Baker is mischief making for the sake of politics: the fact that it also affects the stadium is a happy coincidence for him. However, none of this should affect what is decided in court because High Court judges (in fact all judges) are believed in law, to be above the persuasion of newspapers and others (including politicians) engaged in speculation, unfounded accusations and tittle tattle. Unless Baker can find solid proof of a backhander from Chapman to Prescott, it will mean nothing at all in court. I think the only political repercussion to come from this is that it will make Ruth Kelly more determined to see the stadium through: they tend to stick together when under attack from other politicians. The only potential problem on the horizon may be what Gordon Brown thinks of the stadium. It could well be that it's his man in place when the `final` final decision has to be made - and make no mistake, it will still be a politically based decision.

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

I really hope the f***ing decision is finished before Gordon gets to No 10! Besides, minor planning decisions are rarely discussed in cabinet. It will still be a Ruth Kelly decision.

 

[ManOnTheRun]

Derek Chapman is a wanker and you can quote me on that.

A wanker that has put close to a million quid into the club in the last few years!

Some of his comments are misguided but he's a builder not a Spin Doctor.

He's a fan first and foremost. Were would we be without his cash?

 

[The Oldman]

Was surprised to learn today that a Seaford supporter of the Albion sent one of the Albion's Falmer leaflets to Baker sometime ago asking Baker to back the stadium. Baker replied with thanks and said it was a pity that the club had not sent him one personally and had never talked directly to him.

If this is true it may explain why Baker is so anti. He regards himself as a very important person who should be consulted on big planning issues

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Was surprised to learn today that a Seaford supporter of the Albion sent one of the Albion's Falmer leaflets to Baker sometime ago asking Baker to back the stadium. Baker replied with thanks and said it was a pity that the club had not sent him one personally and had never talked directly to him.

If this is true it may explain why Baker is so anti. He regards himself as a very important person who should be consulted on big planning issues

The man's head wouldn't fit inside Falmer, he's full of that much self-importance.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Remember the press, especially the Murdoch press, hate Prescott with a passion and will do anything to try and get him out of office. Baker knows that and understands it's also the silly season when the media are desperately short of stories with real substance ( save the Middle East crisis). I'm not too worried about this. The real issue with Prezzer seems to be that he broke House of Commons rules by accepting gifts and then didn't declare. Where is the evidence that he did anything wrong re meeting with Chapman? It doesn't look great but in the grand scheme of things I don't think this will matter very much.

 

[Mr Burns]

Slighty changing the subject, and I'm sure it has been discussed before, but when Ruth Kelly has to re-make the decision, will that be final, or can LDC appeal again?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

It's a no-brainer for Stormin' Norman: stick the knife into Prescott on the national stage and into the Albion on the local stage by trying to imply the Falmer decision was due to alleged corruption.

Any ambitious politician with half a brain would do exactly the same.

Which makes it doubly important to embarass the **** on the national stage at the Lib Dem Conference.

In September. In BRIGHTON.

 

[Seagull73]

From Monday's Times:-



The Deputy Prime Minister opened the offices of Adenstar Construction, a property company owned by Derek Chapman, in 2002, The Sunday Telegraph reports. In October Mr Prescott overruled the advice of two planning officers to give the go-aheadfor Mr Chapman, a director of Brighton and Hove Albion, to build an all-seater stadium for the football club in the village of Falmer, near Lewes, East Sussex.

Yet another ill-informed hack thinking they are onto a lovely big story.

Just goes to show this journo knows nothing about the case really, and that they are just after Prescott and don't give a shit about the case.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Yet another ill-informed hack thinking they are onto a lovely big story.

Just goes to show this journo knows nothing about the case really, and that they are just after Prescott and don't give a shit about the case.

make sure you write and tell him then.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

This has just been on the ITN lunchtime news.

In the middle of what was a general Get-Prescott story, Weasel-faced Baker was taking the opportunity to get his face on TV complaining because Prescott visited the Adenstar offices some time ago, before the decision was made.

Even the ITN reporter stated that Prescott's job on that occasion was to present some construction industry award to a member of staff, which, to be fair, he confirmed was quite within Two-Jags's jurisdiction and normal activity.

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

According to, er, my sources (yes I know, I know: please trust me on this one) the Met aren't even "investigating" the allegation of a breach of the Prevention of Corruption Act, they're merely "considering" it. Which in police-speak, is a big difference.

We should know by the end of the day if the allegation will progress any further than Scotland Yard's waste paper basket marked "Trumped-up correspondence from nutters".

 

[Jim in the West]

I'm still interested to know what was the REAL reason for Baker resigning from the Lib Dem front bench? First he said it was to devote more time to constituency matters, then he said it was to investigate the circumstances behind the death of Dr David Kelly (I hope the voters of Lewes are happy with the time he is devoting to this issue). However, his resignation followed very closely on the heels of the Mark Oaten issue, which severey embarrassed the LibDems. I have no information one way or the other, but could Norman have a few skeletons in his own cupboard? After Oaten (and, indeed, Charles Kennedy's alcohol problem), I'm sure the Lib Dems will have scoured their ranks for other potential embarrasments. It also seemed particularly strange, as Baker had supported Campbell in the LibDem leadership campaign, and would presumably have been expected to be rewarded by an increased role in the party??

Having said all that, Baker is a renowned super sleuth when it comes to investigating others' indiscretions (eg: Mandelson), and it would be rather bizarre if Baker himself had a less than clean record