Millennium Dome
Tony Blair may have heralded it as “a triumph of confidence over cynicism, boldness over blandness, excellence over mediocrity", but there is no doubt that the Millennium Dome was an unmitigated catastrophe. Blair’s New Labour proposed it as a shining beacon of the new millennium, however plans for the ill-fated bulge in the previously barren area of North Greenwich were initially conceived by John Major’s Tory government. It cost £800 million to build, a figure it never recouped as the highly optimistic predicted number of 12 million visitors never turned up. After it closed at the end of 2001 it reportedly cost £1 million a month to maintain despite remaining empty till 2007 (with the exception of hosting Winter Wonderland in 2003). So far, so half-witted, however its sleaziest chapter came about when casino tycoon Philip Anschutz, head of AEG (and America’s greediest executive according to Forbes magazine) plotted to turn the Dome into a super-casino. To this end he hosted Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at his ranch in Colorado and gave him gifts worth some £11k; while the mega-casino never materialised the sale did, and in 2005 AEG sold the naming rights to 02, stating “we don’t want any reference back to the Dome”.
Homes for votes
Back in the 80s, conservative MP Shirley Porter devised a way to gain more votes for herself in the marginal wards of her Westminster constituency. Her ingenious move was to sell off local council properties at bargain rates to potential Tory voters (she famously sold three cemeteries for the impressive sum of 15p), and to move people she deemed less likely to vote conservative, such as those living in assisted accommodation and hostels, to wards that were either labour or conservative strongholds and were unlikely to change. In some cases people were shifted to unsanitary, asbestos-riddled buildings; when Porter was found guilty of corruption and asked to pay compensation, the daughter of the founder of Tesco claimed she couldn’t afford the bill. A few years later she bought herself a luxury pad near Park Lane.
Harrods
When Mohammed Al Fayed purchased luxury department store Harrods, his main rival for the bid, Tiny Rowland, asked the Department for Trade and Industry to snoop into Fayed’s dealings. Fayed retaliated by recruiting several MPs to defend his interests and ask questions on his behalf in Parliament. Those recruited (which included disgraced MP turned even more disgraced reality TV star Neil Hamilton) were generously compensated with thousands of pounds in cash and stays at Fayed’s lavish homes.
\n\nBadger watching
Police officers at Brixton station were a little surprised when Welsh MP Ron Davies turned up in the early hours of the morning to say he had been on a relaxing walk through Clapham Common only to have his car, wallet and phone stolen by a man he’d just agreed to get a bite to eat with. Davis claimed he’d got chatting with a stranger, however after getting into his car they picked up a couple of his friends and a knife appeared. Inconsistencies in his story led to his resignation amid rumours of gay cruising, however despite Davies was spotted roaming through similar open green spaces late at night he insisted he was there to indulge in a bit of badger watching. He finally fessed up when the News of the World published a story of his late night visits to a park near his home in Wales.
Blunkett’s blunders
Posh private members’ club Annabel’s is beloved of aristos and the super-rich, so it seemed a little surprising that Sheffield-born socialist turned New Labour Education Secretary David Blunkett had free membership here. This was the scene of his meetings with Sally Anderson, who tabloid newspapers claimed to be the latest object of his affections; he’d previously made himself a target by having a fling with married Kimberley Quinn, then the editor of the Spectator.
Blunkett has also done a turn as a despot landlord. In 2000 tenant Lee Jenkins claimed that he was renting a flat off Blunkett in Wimbledon that was in a terrible state of repair. Naturally the MP wasn’t declaring the £700 a month profit he was making from the rent.
The hapless politician had to resign twice in his career, once over speeding up a visa for his lover’s nanny, and a second time after buying shares in a DNA testing company without consulting the relevant authorities first.
\n\nBoris Johnson
He may have created the public persona of a slightly whatless figure of fun, but in truth Johnson has cheated on two of his partners, falsified a story while working as a reporter, and even conspired to beat up a News of the World journalist. During his first marriage he got childhood friend Marina Wheeler pregnant, who he would then go on to marry. He subsequently cheated on Wheeler with Petronella Wyatt, an affair he initially denied which resulted in the loss of his post as editor of the Spectator. The press may like to describe him as “bumbling”, but calculating seems a far more apt term for the Mayor of London.
Expense fiddling
By now we’re all wisened to the stories of MPs inflating their expense claims, but the biggest scandal of them all was the Additional Costs Allowance. This was a budget to be used by MPs based outside of their London constituencies to cover the cost of living in the capital. Some politicians turned their claims into an artform, including things like fitting mock Tudor beams to the front of their house, maintaining swimming pools and the cost of a toilet roll holder. You’d think a politician could afford the £3 for the latter, then again they must live by Tesco’s maxim – “every little helps”.
