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| George Osborne under pressure to reveal if he has used tax havens | George Osborne under pressure to reveal if he has used tax havens |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| George Osborne is facing calls to reveal whether he has ever benefited from offshore tax havens, after the prime minister bowed to public pressure over the Panama Papers by releasing a summary of his tax returns over the past six years. | |
| Angus Robertson, the SNP’s leader in Westminster, has written to David Cameron to demand that all cabinet members make statements in the wake of the scandal triggered by the biggest leak in history. | Angus Robertson, the SNP’s leader in Westminster, has written to David Cameron to demand that all cabinet members make statements in the wake of the scandal triggered by the biggest leak in history. |
| “David Cameron has serious questions to answer and must provide full disclosure of his cabinet: how many government ministers have benefited from tax havens? | “David Cameron has serious questions to answer and must provide full disclosure of his cabinet: how many government ministers have benefited from tax havens? |
| “We have yet to hear from George Osborne, or others,” said Robertson, who claimed the chancellor was hypocritical in criticising tax avoidance without releasing his own tax returns. | “We have yet to hear from George Osborne, or others,” said Robertson, who claimed the chancellor was hypocritical in criticising tax avoidance without releasing his own tax returns. |
| Related: What’s in David Cameron’s tax returns: a few strokes of luck but no shady shenanigans | Related: What’s in David Cameron’s tax returns: a few strokes of luck but no shady shenanigans |
| The intervention came as Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, became the latest political figure to publish her tax returns. The SNP leader was paid more than £104,000 for her role as first minister last year, and paid more than £31,000 in tax. | |
| She joined two other Scottish political leaders – Labour’s Kezia Dugdale and the Conservatives’ Ruth Davidson – in releasing the personal information. The two opposition leaders released their tax schedule on Sunday morning, revealing they were both paid £52,000 for their roles as MSPs last year. | |
| Meanwhile, the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, suggested that all politicians and other public figures should publish their tax returns. The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, added he could see no problem with a rule compelling all MPs to provide such information. | |
| Even a cabinet member conceded that it ought to be considered. The energy secretary, Amber Rudd, said it was not the right move in her opinion, but that it was worth looking into. | Even a cabinet member conceded that it ought to be considered. The energy secretary, Amber Rudd, said it was not the right move in her opinion, but that it was worth looking into. |
| The defence minister Penny Mordaunt went further, conceding that public pressure might make the move inevitable. “This will raise questions about politicians publishing further information about themselves,” she said. “Although I understand arguments about privacy and security, if that is what the electorate require of their elected officials I think that’s what will have to happen.” | The defence minister Penny Mordaunt went further, conceding that public pressure might make the move inevitable. “This will raise questions about politicians publishing further information about themselves,” she said. “Although I understand arguments about privacy and security, if that is what the electorate require of their elected officials I think that’s what will have to happen.” |
| The prime minister is expected to make a statement in parliament responding to the latest developments in the scandal on Monday. | |
| Labour said it was calling for an immediate public inquiry into the revelations in the Panama Papers, and called for a change in parliamentary rules to make it mandatory for MPs to publish details of all offshore holdings. The pledges were part of a Tax Transparency Enforcement Programme published by McDonnell who said urgent action was needed after a week of “half-truths and spin”. He said it was a matter of national shame that half the companies named in the leak were registered in UK-governed tax havens, and questioned why Cameron had lobbied to prevent more regulation of offshore trusts. | Labour said it was calling for an immediate public inquiry into the revelations in the Panama Papers, and called for a change in parliamentary rules to make it mandatory for MPs to publish details of all offshore holdings. The pledges were part of a Tax Transparency Enforcement Programme published by McDonnell who said urgent action was needed after a week of “half-truths and spin”. He said it was a matter of national shame that half the companies named in the leak were registered in UK-governed tax havens, and questioned why Cameron had lobbied to prevent more regulation of offshore trusts. |
| Corbyn said the prime minister ought to also face questions from the parliamentary standards commissioner over the shares he held in an offshore trust set up by his late father, after a Labour MP made a complaint that could trigger an investigation. | Corbyn said the prime minister ought to also face questions from the parliamentary standards commissioner over the shares he held in an offshore trust set up by his late father, after a Labour MP made a complaint that could trigger an investigation. |
| John Mann referred Cameron to the commissioner, Kathryn Hudson, saying that his failure to declare £30,000 made from the sale of shares in the trust may have broken the ethos of the rules. | John Mann referred Cameron to the commissioner, Kathryn Hudson, saying that his failure to declare £30,000 made from the sale of shares in the trust may have broken the ethos of the rules. |
| Downing Street has pointed out that the money Cameron invested was well below the threshold that requires a submission, and said its rules suggested unit trusts were not normally listed. | Downing Street has pointed out that the money Cameron invested was well below the threshold that requires a submission, and said its rules suggested unit trusts were not normally listed. |
| Corbyn, however, said: “I think there is a question for parliament there. There is a question for parliamentary standards … There has been a series of changing stories coming out of Downing Street. There has been a statement roughly every 18 to 24 hours since last Monday.” | Corbyn, however, said: “I think there is a question for parliament there. There is a question for parliamentary standards … There has been a series of changing stories coming out of Downing Street. There has been a statement roughly every 18 to 24 hours since last Monday.” |
| Speaking on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show, he said Labour would propose tougher parliamentary registration rules that would mean overseas assets had to be declared at a much lower value. | Speaking on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show, he said Labour would propose tougher parliamentary registration rules that would mean overseas assets had to be declared at a much lower value. |
| Asked if more MPs and even political journalists should publish their income tax returns, he said: “I think we are moving in that direction. I think it is a good thing so everyone knows what influences are at play.” | Asked if more MPs and even political journalists should publish their income tax returns, he said: “I think we are moving in that direction. I think it is a good thing so everyone knows what influences are at play.” |
| Related: David Cameron: I know I should have handled it better. Not a great week | |
| He said openness about potential influence was crucial when politicians were making decisions. | He said openness about potential influence was crucial when politicians were making decisions. |
| The questions for Cameron, he added, were whether he benefited from the offshore trust before 2010, and why the money was placed in an overseas tax haven in the first place. | The questions for Cameron, he added, were whether he benefited from the offshore trust before 2010, and why the money was placed in an overseas tax haven in the first place. |
| Corbyn’s comments came after the prime minister took an unprecedented decision to release his personal tax records on Saturday, revealing that his mother had transferred two separate payments of £100,000 to his accounts in 2011, allowing the family estate to avoid a potential £80,000 in inheritance tax. | Corbyn’s comments came after the prime minister took an unprecedented decision to release his personal tax records on Saturday, revealing that his mother had transferred two separate payments of £100,000 to his accounts in 2011, allowing the family estate to avoid a potential £80,000 in inheritance tax. |
| Corbyn said the Panama Papers had revealed tax avoidance and evasion on an “industrial scale” and were the tip of the iceberg. | Corbyn said the Panama Papers had revealed tax avoidance and evasion on an “industrial scale” and were the tip of the iceberg. |
| “What is more important is looking at the issue of tax havens,” he said, “of British overseas territories, of the way in which large sums of money, huge sums of money are placed in these havens to avoid tax. There is a moral case. If you earn money you pay tax. If you earn a lot of money you pay more tax.” | “What is more important is looking at the issue of tax havens,” he said, “of British overseas territories, of the way in which large sums of money, huge sums of money are placed in these havens to avoid tax. There is a moral case. If you earn money you pay tax. If you earn a lot of money you pay more tax.” |
| One Conservative minister hit out at Corbyn for his attacks on the prime minister. The justice minister Dominic Raab said the Labour leader had promised a “kinder politics” but was now “whipping up a mob mentality”. | One Conservative minister hit out at Corbyn for his attacks on the prime minister. The justice minister Dominic Raab said the Labour leader had promised a “kinder politics” but was now “whipping up a mob mentality”. |
| “Amidst all the froth and frenzy of the media debate, it seems crystal clear not only that he’s not done anything illegal, but that he’s not behaved improperly in any way. And he’s gone further than any prime minister previously in publishing these tax returns and I think he wanted to show he’s got nothing to hide,” Raab told Sky News’s Murnaghan show. | “Amidst all the froth and frenzy of the media debate, it seems crystal clear not only that he’s not done anything illegal, but that he’s not behaved improperly in any way. And he’s gone further than any prime minister previously in publishing these tax returns and I think he wanted to show he’s got nothing to hide,” Raab told Sky News’s Murnaghan show. |
| “Frankly some of the personalised attacks on him and his father have been deeply unsavoury,” he added, saying some Labour MPs were “behaving like frankly hyenas”. | “Frankly some of the personalised attacks on him and his father have been deeply unsavoury,” he added, saying some Labour MPs were “behaving like frankly hyenas”. |