Grant Shapps: Guilty of What?

It is rare for this blog to come to the rescue of politicians caught out, but Shapps is not Rifkind. It appears he kept an interest in his business when first elected to parliament in 2005 and wound it down before giving it up. He was self employed so it would be perfectly reasonable for time to be taken to financially unwind his own firm after finding himself winning a seat at the election, by no means a given until it happens. He made all the necessary disclosures and filled out all the registers. And remember the standards of 2005/6  were very different as it was before the expense scandal. Mr. Shapps was not a member of the government, not least because the Tories were not in power.

So when interviewed on the radio he says he has not had another job since becoming an MP. Strictly, if you are pedantic, that is not altogether true. ‘On becoming an MP I wound up my interest in my business, gradually playing a lesser role in until ending my association by whenever.’ That would have been better, yes. But it is a good deal more windy and radio interviews require the exploration of big events in small amounts of time. No words can be wasted. Mr. Shapps gave a quick answer. It was not quite correct. As Hilary Clinton would say, he misspoke.

Unless this is a prelude to something really meaty, after just a few hours in the media spotlight, it is time to move on. There is no mileage in the righteous indignation bit for Labour and it is doubtful whether the Guardian will sell a single additional copy.

As for demands for an enquiry; by whom, into what, at what cost, and who pays? Get real.