Inventing conspiracies
Sir Keir Starmer’s performance in Parliament (April 21) was more about saving his sinking party than any real indignation over Dyson and his employee’s tax.
Now Sunderland’s MPs have joined in the faux indignation and vapid sloganeering and claiming sleaze.
However Labour is now in danger of badly overreaching themselves.
In their rush to score political points, they are inventing various conspiracies; they have no interest at finding the facts, instead they try baseless smears.
Early last year the Government were desperately trying to increase the limited stock of ventilators and were looking to acquire 20,000 more that were urgently needed.
The Government asked British businesses to take part in a national effort to increase the supply.
Sir James Dyson was among those that responded telling the PM we are ready.
He was worried however that his overseas staff might be penalised by extra taxes if they worked for any significant period in Britain.
He asked that all nonresident employees helping to manufacture ventilators would be financially protected.
Soon afterwards, the tax problem was resolved .
Crucially those rules were openly debated and agreed by the Commons.
The initiative turned out to be a huge success, providing the ventilators required in a very short time.
At the time Sir Keir Starmer described it as
"an example of how UK manufacturers, a worldclass workforce and the trade unions, have come together to provide our NHS with the vital equipment it urgently needs. Well done to everyone involved".
Now he chants: "Sleaze, sleaze, sleaze."
Shamefully, Sir James is under attack for trying to help his country, while the Government is attacked for its urgency in cutting through tax bureaucracy.
It must be noted that there was no private gain involved, Sir James's company covered the
£20m costs and received not "one penny" from the Government. Strange sort of sleaze that.
The changes in taxation rules did not apply solely to Dyson’s employees.
The emergency tax rules covered all non-resident professionals needed in the emergency, like doctors, engineers and scientists.
Labour’s Shadow Business Minister Lucy Powell said: "Frankly it stinks."
What would she and Sir Keir want, rigid tax rules and fewer ventilators?
Alan Wright. High Barnes.
“Crucially those
rules were openly debated and agreed by the
Commons.”