'Stupid question': Iain Duncan Smith shrugs off concerns of Tory sleaze

9 November 2021, 15:23 | Updated: 14 November 2021, 12:05

Matthew Thompson stops Iain Duncan Smith amid Tory sleaze row

Matthew Thompson stops Tory MPs on their way to the House of Commons to get their view of the sleaze scandal.

Matthew Thompson asked former leader of the Tories Sir Iain Duncan Smith whether "this Conservative party is at risk of becoming a party of sleaze once again", amid a string of scandals damaging the reputation of the Conservative party.

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"First of all, that's a stupid question. You know the answer, it's not true", Sir Iain shrugged.

Matthew was shocked by the response: "Why is it a stupid question?"

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"Do you support your colleagues having lucrative second jobs in tax havens in the Caribbean?"

Sir Iain repeated the question, leaving Matthew baffled.

"My colleagues aren't in a position to lobby ministers!"

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"We've certainly got some regrouping to do, there's no doubt about it" chair of the Defence Select Committee Tobias Ellwood told Matthew.

He believed that the government should "use last week as a seminal moment to deal with, not just the standards issues that came up, but also to do with the relationship between the parliamentary party and Number 10".

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"Have you got any cushty little earners that you've got on the side?" Matthew asked, with Mr Ellwood telling him that he is a reservist. "If you are going to go down that road where you say you can't have any outside interests I'll have to forego that", he added.

"There's being a reservist or being an NHS doctor and there's trips to the Caribbean and trips to the British Virgin Islands" Matthew pointed out.

"There has to be a recognition that there are some outside interests that can add to what we do in parliament so you remain engaged in the wider world."