It is by remarkable coincidence that on Thursday 10 January2019 the guest speaker at Tunbridge Wells Conservatives Association Annual dinner at High Rocks was none other than Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Mr James Brokenshire MP. After which he was invited to wine, dine, talk and pose for photographs.
If Tunbridge Wells Conservatives we’re not the majority party of TWBC it wouldn’t be an issue. If there wasn’t a public inquiry concerning Compulsory purchase orders where TWBC are one party in the case and those who are objecting are the other parties in the case and if Mr James Brokenshire wasn’t the man who had the final say in the CPO public inquiry then this also wouldn’t be an issue.
However neither of these statements are true.
Unfortunately Mr James Brokenshire is the man as the Secretary of State of Communities and local government and as such does have the final say over TWBC CPO inquiry.
Both TWBC knew this fact and so did Mr James Brokenshire . In fact everyone knew that this fact. Therefore for Mr James Brokenshire this was an extremely grave error of judgment, not only by him but astonishingly by Tunbridge Wells Conservatives Association.Someone in his high office he can not afford to do. Those elected to public office must appear beyond reproach or they bring that public office into disrepute. Unfortunately this happened on Thursday 10th January 2019.
This booking should have been cancelled the moment the public inquiry was scheduled by either Mr James Brokenshire or the Tunbridge Wells Conservatives Association.
But it was not. And now it has led to all parties statements of “ conflict of interest” which it would appear given the circumstances it clearly is and there have even been calls for Mr James Brokenshire to be replaced.
How can the CPO inquiry be independent and in partial now?
If you would like this question answered or feel this matter should be addressed then please email your concerns to:
james.brokenshire@communities.gsi.gov.uk
greg.clark.mp@parliament.uk