This information comes straight from a source with direct access to the Cabinet Office investigation into Fox’s relationship with Werritty.
Gus O’Donnell, Cabinet Secretary, has fixed with Cameron the lines of his investigation to allow him to whitewash Fox. This will be done by the standard method of only asking very narrow questions, to which the answer is known to be satisfactory. In this case, the investigation into Werritty’s finances will look only at the very narrow question of whether he received specific payments that can be linked directly to the setting up of specific meetings with Fox. The answer is thought to be no; that is what Fox was indicating by his extraordinary formulation to the House of Commons that Werritty was “not dependent on any transactional behaviour to maintain his income”.
So O’Donnell will announce that Werritty received no specific money for specific meetings with or introductions to Fox.
But the deal between Cameron, Fox and O’Donnell is that O’Donnell will not address the much more important question of who funded Werritty and why. Having claimed there was no wrongdoing, O’Donnell will say Mr Werritty’s finances are private and should not be made public. It was on that basis that Werritty agreed to give financial details to Sue Gray in the Cabinet Office yesterday.
The Cabinet Office will only look for direct evidence of a little grubby money-making for introductions to Fox. But what is actually happening is much worse and much more serious. Who paid for Werritty’s eighteen overseas trips with Liam Fox and his stays in exclusive hotels in the World’s most expensive destinations? What does he live on?
The answer is that Werritty is paid by representatives of far right US and Israeli sources to influence the British defence secretary. It has been discussed within the MOD whether Werritty is being – knowingly or otherwise – run as an agent of influence by the CIA or Mossad. That is why the chiefs of the armed forces are so concerned, and why there is today much gagging at the stitch up within the Cabinet Office.
This has parallels to the Christine Keeler case but is much, much worse.
That the British Defence Minister holds frequent unrecorded meetings in the Ministry and abroad with somebody promoting the interests of foreign powers is much, much worse than a little cash-grubbing. That the person representing the foreign powers is actually present, apparently to all as a ministerial adviser, at meetings of Fox with important representatives of foreign nations is simply appalling.
That we are being so easily misdirected to a narrow cash question – and that the media have followed that misdirection – is ludicrous.
Here’s Jim Murphy’s letter to Cameron, complaining that the inquiry’s remit is so narrow (I don’t like giving unnecessary traffic to the Guardian, but I couldn’t find it elsewhere on a quick search):
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/oct/09/liam-fox-jim-murphy-letter
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Craig, is it not the case that Fox and Werritty go back so far that anything Werritty is trying to persuade Fox of, Fox will already be a paid-up subscriber to? Or at least that F and W are sufficiently in cahoots that W is more of a messenger than a persuader. Is it not therefore a money-grubbing wheeze thought up by Fox and Werritty?
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I had rather assumed that the truth was that Fox wanted to profit financially from his position in ways that he could not do directly – a minister can’t demand payment for access, but a middle-man can accept payment for setting up access.
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The people paying for that access, whether to Fox directly or via Werritty, may indeed be getting Fox to act in their interests, but surely rather than W being paid by representatives of far right US and Israeli sources to influence the British defence secretary it’s more likely to be that Werritty and Fox are being paid, though W is probably hanging onto the cash for now, or spending it to their mutual benefit. We already know from the expenses revelations that Fox is dishonest and greedy when it comes to cash.
Craig, welcome back from your coma. I’m so happy to see you opening your eyes.
Quelcrime,
No, I don’t think so. Werritty is in effect a channel for his backers to tell Fox what they want him to do over individual decisions – which, whatever your ideological identity, may not always be obvious in individual cases.
New Labour had the defence industry arrangement you are positing, with Lord Taylor of Blackburn as the bagman. This is not as simple as that.
For some days I have been saying follow the money but I have not meant in any narrow way. This is where the feeble unattributed backer news http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15269215 is puzzling, almost set up to be discredited / rescinded at some point.
“That we are being so easily misdirected to a narrow cash question – and that the media have followed that misdirection – is ludicrous.”
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This is done very much on purpose. I mean all this misdirection which media not just followed but to which is involved. As we say in Uzbek language “Raven does not peck other raven’s eyes”. So, Cameron will do everything it takes to support his buddy in arms because they are (Tories in particular) live pretty much in their own closed to others circle.
Excellent work Craig.
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The performance of the BBC over the past few years has been so completely pathetic, that so I won’t hold my breath waiting for the overpaid ‘rotweiler’ journalists to start asking intelligent questions about the Werrity case.
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Move along now folks, nothing to see here. But look over there! An Iranian used-car salesman in cahoots with Mexican drug cartels almost brought down Western civilization! Jesus christ, if we start distracting the Minister of Defence with these trivial questions, Iranian extremists will blow up your kids school before you know it.
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I predict a UK ‘terror alert’ within a few days, with a high profile arrest of some young Muslim men.
Well done Craig – the ‘gay’ slurs are yet another false trail for what is left of the ‘press’ to go chasing after – with seasoned journos being paid off daily, the British press is reduced to kids who know how to rewrite a press release but little else. Society is becoming very controlled indeed.
The chief ‘backer’ is said to be Michael Hintze. Not secret now judging from the web.
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From the BBC link above ‘Bypassing the rules’ – The BBC’s Nick Robinson says the wealthy backers who paid Mr Werritty an annual retainer did so because they saw him as someone who, unlike civil servants, could be relied on to champion support for Eurosceptic, pro-American and pro-Israeli policies.’
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The very mention of Israel will bring back the trolls here whose job is to divert the conversation, distract and make the odd smear even against Craig. Dissident Voice, the American website, used to have a very good comments section under each article. The trolling became so excessive that, eventually, comments were disabled. Thus free speech in one small sector was closed off. The monthly selection of articles there is still worth reading however.
http://dissidentvoice.org/archives/
In that case, it’s very careless of Fox to be so OTT about his relationship with Werritty – he could have carried messages to and fro without attracting so much attention – business cards and fake titles and holidays and so on. I imagine they enjoy each others’ company too much. Which leads to the question, if Werritty is unknowing, is Fox?
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Presumably they do a bit of straightforward cash-for-access too – ie Dubai – or is that part of the same thing?
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So O’Donnell will announce that Werritty received no specific money for specific meetings with or introductions to Fox.
Hm. Can they really announce that and overlook the fact that he may be receiving a retainer for general services, including as much access as is required? That’s pretty transparent.
That is very interesting, and significant. The fact that he, W., might be acting as an agent of influence for an ally does not make the situation any less serious.
DLJ,
The US is an ally. Israel is not, as a simple matter of fact.
Excellent sleuthing Craig, thank you. Does this mean Gus would do anything for whoever is in power? even if his actions are putting the defense of the realm into question?
The impartiality of the civil and public service is serverely hampered when ‘cuts’ are looming in every department, it tends to slew minds away from rules and regs and one might like to please a minister and his dangerous toy boy.
When Gunther Guilleaume was found to be a Stasi agent whilst working as the German chancellors private secretary for years, the BND was set back and had to look at everything that went over the Chancellors table, as every bit of defense information the chancellor/PM was privvy to ended up in Moscow.
What were Mr. Werrity’s comments to Liam when the Turkish PM expelled the Israely ambassador, what was his ‘advise’?
Those who call us conspiracy peddlars should prove that the opposite is true, Mary, the interference from paid cyber-trolls won’t rattle our cage for long.
DLJ,
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Allies usually do not use suspicious third person when working out strategies and cooperate with each other. Why allies need some third person when trying to persuade Secretary of Defence on something? Why cannot they just use normal way of communication such ad direct contacts between ministries if they are allies that value each other?
JFK at the time of his assasination was trying to get inspectors into Israel’s nuclear power station and get the israel lobby to register as foreign agents, after his death Israeli nuclear weapons went ahead and the Israeli lobby did not have to register as foreign agents, Registering as foreign agents would mean they could no longer buy US politician and influence USA. The man who financed the oliver stones JFK film is an Israeli arms dealer.
Werrity was there to make sure their ‘investment’ kept his end of the bargain.
It is difficult to know whether that was a purely financial proposition, or more likely a political one (The Libyan campaign comes to mind).
It basically suggests that the people running L.Fox need insurance to make sure he didn’t go off the reservation. That they didn’t trust him.
This affair could (and should IMHO) – bring down the government.
Nice one, Craig. I’ve been posting for days saying this is hot air and bollocks, but maybe it isn’t…very happy to be proved wrong.
What we see again here is just how badly the West needs a credible, joint effort online from a collection of folks who (while they may have widely varying politics) believe in, and agree about, some key things:
1. The rule of law and equality before the law is sacrosanct
2. Media ownership rules need to be radically reformed
3. Liberty-bending must be sought out and shown up
Jack P resigned, rebuilt his life based on social service, and was probably guilty of nothing more than shagging a very pretty girl. But he lied to the Commons, and paid the price. Rather than accepting changed standards, we should reinstate the original ones.
Keep it up
Slog
Editor – Duplicate – Improved – please use this version with paragraph breaks and for the love of mike don’t edit the (impersonal) insults this time – it plays hell with the ‘jokes’. Thanks. ; )
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[Mod: I’ve deleted the other version. What do you mean, “this time”? I know that I didn’t edit the first version, and I’ve compared the versions and there is no difference, so no one else edited it either. Thanks for making paragraph breaks!]
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SCANDAL
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Very entertaining. Thank you C. ‘Johnny English’ Murray or, perhaps, C ‘Braveheart’ Murray ??? –
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So Zionist Nazis and/or the US Neo-Con Nazis might be running the UK Defence secretary Liam Fox as a (paid?) agent, via Werrity.
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And this is worse than their running ‘Our Tony’ – Bliar – in exactly the same way how exactly???
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It just proves that the UK is the Empire’s @#$@#$ – rhymes with ‘hitch’. No change there, then! –
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– Robin Ramsay at UK Lobster provides chapter and verse that the UK has been in the US’s pocket since Suez. See ‘Who were they traveling with?’ by Tom Easton, from Lobster #31 –
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– http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/articles/l31whowh.htm
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Ramsay further reports that these Atlantic Bridge false-front foundations are US trolling bait for UK traitors, Oops, our bad, ‘Up and coming UK politicians.’ –
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– ‘Unperson – A life destroyed’ – Denis Lehane – page 209, issue 59 –
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“This is not Dennis Lehane the American crime writer of that name. This is Denis (one ‘n’) Lehane, the co-author with Martin Dillon of of the 1973 Penguin Special Political Murder in Northern Ireland. Lehane was a journalist and this book is his account of what befell him when he declined to be recruited by the CIA. Although mostly an account of how a life can turn to shit if the spooks start playing with it, this is of significance because of the names that Lehane names.
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“Lehane was awarded a Harkness Fellowship to go and study in the USA and discovered that the Harkness scheme is a front for an intelligence recruitment operation. Bright young things (though not so young in Lehane’s case) go the States where the CIA can give them a look over and recruit the best. When Lehane declined to be recruited he became a man – worse, a journalist – who knew something he shouldn’t and the Agency and its various allies in the US and here set about discrediting him. Lehane attempted for almost 20 years to get
his version of reality taken seriously by a thick slice of great and the good in UK public life, without success. When it comes to it most people put career and reputation ahead of something as relatively trifling as the truth.”
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“This is an important addition to the collection of stories of innocent individuals who are trashed by the state simply to save it from embarrassment. (CF Malcolm Kennedy’s story in this issue.)” – Robin Ramsay
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Blair, Brown, Mandelson (cited in another issue) and others all took the freebie trips, but did they also take the US shilling? – Issue #60, page 90 –
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– http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/issue60.php
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– Robin Ramsay – UK Lobster – lifting the rug on UK sleaze for thirty years –
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– http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/index.php
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The pictures – Working girl –
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– http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2046929/Liam-Fox-allegations-Defence-minister-pressure-Adam-Werrittys-job.html
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Neo-Con Nazi tart – Scandal (1989) – ‘Downfall’ – previously ; ) –
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– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwwC4Wlpvxo#t=73m38s
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(ER, shome mishtake shurely? Ed.)
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Oops, our bad! ER, Christine Keeler – played by Joanna Whaley – much better looking than Werrity- “Phew. What a scorcher!” etc ; ) –
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Because there are some things that professional girls just won’t do, but not, apparently, the male variety.
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Our Craig gets an honorable mention on page 87 of Lobster # 58 ‘The meaning of subservience to America’ –
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– http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/issue58.php
Quelcrime Murphy is a hypocrite and should shut up. He is bad as the rest and is a staunch member of Labour Friends of Israel. His most recent entries in the Register of Interests. Note the purpose of his visit to Israel. Like Straw he was President of the NUS. Perhaps that is when they got him on board
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6. Overseas visits
Name of donor: Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BiCom)
Address of donor: 32-36 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 8QX
Amount of donation: return flights, transfers and some hospitality for myself and a staff member. Total estimated value: £3,234.
Destination of visit: Tel Aviv, Israel
Date of visit: 6-9 June 2011.
Purpose of visit: fact finding in my capacity as Shadow Secretary of State for Defence as part of the defence policy review, and to meet both Israeli and Palestinian politicians.
(Registered 28 June 2011)
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Name of donor:
1)MBDA (global missile systems company)
2)Graham Cole
Address of donor:
1)Six Hills Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2DA
2)private
Amount of donation (or estimate of the probable value):
1)transport and some hospitality for me and a staff member; total estimated value £991
2)cost of hotel for me and a staff member; total estimated value £660
Destination of visit: Paris
Date of visit: 20-21 June 2011 for myself; 19-21 June for staff member
Purpose of visit: in my capacity as Shadow Secretary of State for Defence for a fact finding visit to the Paris Air Show as part of the defence policy review
(Registered 19 July 2011)
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Name of donor: Cellcrypt (smartphone encryption company based in the UK)
Address of donor: 13-15 Carteret St, London SW1H 9DJ
Amount of donation (or estimate of the probable value): flights, hotel accommodation and some hospitality for myself and a staff member, at a total cost of £3,484
Destination of visit: Washington DC
Date of visit: 18-21 July 2011
Purpose of visit: Factfinding visit as Shadow Defence Secretary as part of the Labour Party defence policy review and to meet US politicians.
(Registered 12 August 2011 )
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8. Land and Property
Flat in London, from which rental income is received.
I wasn’t posting the link to Murphy’s letter as any sort of endorsement of the man, just to make the point that there are high-level calls for the inquiry to be widened, which is obviously a good thing and provides a platform for further efforts when the narrow inquiry comes out with its whitewash.
Craig, I love the way you now introduces the delicious Christine Keeler for bizarre comparison to the repellent Werrity. Made my day, and it’s only 11.55!
Very much worth waiting for, thanks Craig. Let us hope this goes ballistic. The MSM, especially the BBC are now totally discredited and deservedly so. Waste of space. Even “The Slog” who appeared as an apologist for Israeli crimes seems to be coming to his senses a bit. Get this out to the London branch of the Wall Street protesters and let the revolution begin. I am a mid 60’s professional, ex middle of the road, Thatcher fan at the time, who is now so disillusioned that I would happily give up my lifetime savings and carefully accumulated super to see a real revolution occur. Vive la revolution!
Quelcrime. Sorry if that came across the wrong way. I did not intend to infer you supported Murphy.
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Yet another BICOM link is revealed.
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‘Electoral Commission records show Lewis, who is deputy chairman of the Israeli lobby group Bicom, donated £5,000 to Fox’s leadership campaign on 27 July 2005.’
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/oct/13/donor-liam-fox-flights-washington
Liam Fox took five MPs to Washington with donor’s money
Michael Lewis, who donated almost £14,000 to Fox’s Atlantic Bridge charity, paid for newly elected Tory MPs’ flights in 2005
P.S. If Werrity turns out to be an agent of influence, then might not the pair of them be running in tandem?
When he was Shadow Defence Secretary, the Conservative Friends of Israel website quoted Fox as saying: “We must remember that in the battle for the values that we stand for, for democracy against theocracy, for democratic liberal values against repression – Israel’s enemies are our enemies and this is a battle in which we all stand together or we will all fall divided.”
Nobody spouts such bollox as a British politician unless their brain has been completely mashed and warped by the likes of Mossad or the CIA.
Anyone who doubts Craig’s account has only to watch events develop – I would bet good money exactly as Craig indicates.
Fox is a Reagan/Thatcherite rightwinger. DEMONSTRABLE FACT.
Fox set up Atlantic Bridge, under the aegis of ALEC ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Legislative_Exchange_Council ) to liase with US rightwing interests. Both it and its US equivalent are political, not charitable, operations. FACT.
http://politicalscrapbook.net/2010/04/liam-foxs-atlantic-bridge-referred-to-us-tax-authorities-by-charity-commission/
Atlantic Bridge (also CFOI, of which 80 – that’s eighty -percent of Tory MP’s are members. and Cameron himself) have been funded by BICOM and/or Zabludowicz. These represent the interests of a foreign government which is NOT even nominally an ally of ours, and which is in continuous breach of international law. FACT.
I don’t think Werrity’s more than a pawn in this, just a useful idiot for the interests involved in ALEC (including the Koch brothers, for instance) and over a wider field of US and Israeli neoliberal influence. And the money trail is probably well concealed. It may well be that Fox will be collecting no kickbacks at all until he leaves office and steps into a sinecure or two at an Israeli or US arms manufacturer. Werrity was subsidised by benevolent business men who merely happen to have contacts in BICOM – that’s how AIPAC works, too.
But the root of the problem is the extent of foreign subversion of British policy, and not just defence policy. Against our real interests. Actual treason by our ministers.
Reading through comments I can’t help thinking we/you are missing the point? Fox has totally compromised his position, paid lip service to the Ministerial code, shamed his rank and authority in the eyes of the public by his reckless behaviour and mistaken judgement AND has let down the very troops and their families he is suppose to represent by giving the media a golden oportunity to stick the boot into the MOD – in my book any Minister who has brought this level of scandal, conjecture and shame to his department should resign immediately! As for Cameron supporting his defence sec at this time?….er…..why? There are many good MP’s in the back benches, some with strong military backgrounds and experience surely with the crop of new MP’s that came through at the last election the PM can find one that is not covered in personal and professional scandal to lead our troops and the Ministry of Defence at this very difficult time?
If Foxy keeps his job, then basically this government could turn into the John Major regime redux. Cack-handed and clod-hopping, dropping clangers with a stacatto frequency!
Nothing new under the Zionist sun.
Mary notes that Murphy has been taking the Israeli shilling (?) too.
“6. Overseas visits
Name of donor: Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BiCom)
Address of donor: 32-36 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 8QX
Amount of donation: return flights, transfers and some hospitality for myself and a staff member. Total estimated value: £3,234.
Destination of visit: Tel Aviv, Israel
Date of visit: 6-9 June 2011.
Purpose of visit: fact finding in my capacity as Shadow Secretary of State for Defence as part of the defence policy review, and to meet both Israeli and Palestinian politicians.
(Registered 28 June 2011)”
Worth making the point, I think, that BICOM, like AIPAC in the USA, exists mainly to incentivise politicians uncritically to accept Israel’s idiosyncratic interpretation of international law. The party doesn’t matter.
I like your post Ex Pat – but Craig’s ‘connected’ disclosure is cannot be called ‘entertaining’ in my mind; more worrying and annoying. I ask the question, will Britain end up a Taser touting police state like America and will our children’s schools eventually end up resembling state prisons complete with metal detectors on the single entry, camera’s in every classroom and corridors and bag searches by uniformed security personnel?
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Brits are annoying fearless having endured blanket bombing, doodle-bugs and IRA terror – but can we endure Patriot peddling or another false-flag 7/7? Can we put up with MOSSAD or the CIA infiltrating an admirable matured society?
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The answer is, yes we can – exploitation is NOT a word we tolerate on our journeys.
Beckster He is brass necked. He has just been sitting behind Hague who is rattling through a summary of Middle East affairs including the usual demonization of Syria and Iran, nodding approval. It is reported in the Mail that because it would make him, the Prime Minister, look weak, Cameron will not sack him. In a very long article there are more details of the large amount of donations that have come Fox’s way, including more from those associated with BICOM and their connections.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2048569/Liam-Fox-Defence-secretary-appointed-ally-Lt-Col-Graham-Livesey-military-assistant.html
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Liam Fox created high-powered job for a second aide – against the advice of senior military figures
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‘Cameron won’t sack me, he would look weak’, Dr Fox tells friend
Right-wing donors paid the bills for Liam Fox and Adam Werritty to go globetrotting
Mr Werrity faces second round of questions by senior civil servants as Dr Fox insists he’s getting on with the job as usual
Andrew Mitchell and Northern Ireland Minister Owen Paterson touted as potential successors to under-fire Defence Secretary
Allies try to distance Dr Fox from ‘Walter Mitty figure’ Mr Werritty