Appointment Of Advertising Agents For Privatisation Of Electricity Industry

EDM number 936 in 1989-90, proposed by Marjorie Mowlam on 02/05/1990.

That this House would deplore the appointment of Wight, Collins, Rutherford and Scott (WCRS) as advertising agents for the privatisation of the electricity industry, following the Conservative Party announcement that Robin Wight, Chairman of WCRS, has been appointed unpaid public relations adviser to the Right honourable Member for South Norfolk, the Secretary of State for Education and Science; notes that Tim Bell, Deputy Chairman of Lowe Howard-Spink and Bell, who is to be the Conservative Party's unpaid public relations adviser to the Right honourable Member for Ribble Valley, the Home Secretary, is a member of the selection panel for the electricity privatisation contract; views with concern the possibility that if private, unpaid appointments for the Conservative Party are to coincide with the award of public sector contracts worth more than ú20 million, public suspicion will be aroused that public money is being used to reward party political activity; and urges the Prime Minister to quash any such suspicion by ensuring that Mr Wight withdraws from one of the two jobs in prospect.

This motion has been ammended, see 1063A1 and 1063A2.

This motion has been signed by a total of 32 MPs.