With nominations set to close on November 11th , it seems increasingly likely that despite intense pressure Alun Cairns will be the Tory candidate for the Vale of Glamorgan.
How much the controversy will affect the voting intentions of the electorate there is open to question.
But it should and not only in that constituency. The failure of the leadership of the Welsh Conservatives to fully admit their knowledge that Cairns former colleague Ross England told a rape trial in April 2018 that he had been in a casual sexual relationship with the victim - claims the victim had denied. should reverberate in every Welsh Constituency,
He was thrown out of court by the judge, who had ruled such evidence inadmissible, and the trial collapsed. The defendant James Hackett was subsequently convicted of rape at a retrial.
Wales Online report that
Former Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns has refused to apologise to a rape victim who was forced to endure a second trial because one of the party's employees collapsed the first.
Mr Cairns resigned as Welsh Secretary after being accused of lying about his knowledge of what his former aide, Ross England, had done , in what a judge called a "deliberate" and "stupid" attempt to make claims in front of the jury about the victim's sexual history.
In response he said: "This is a really sensitive case that I have taken seriously throughout. I fully support the party's apology and explanation to the victim and it is absolutely right that the candidate has stood down."
Candidate Ross England has been suspended by the party but has not yet stood down. My Cairns himself is still standing as a Conservative candidate for the General Election on December 12.
The reporter then gave him multiple opportunities to personally apologise to the woman.
"Is it right that you should be a candidate here?" the reporter asked.
Mr Cairns replied: "When people know all of the facts, and that is what the cabinet office will do, they can then make a judgement, but this is not about trial by media."
He was then asked again if he would say sorry: "Would you like to apologise to the victim in this?"
Again Mr Cairns declined saying: "I have supported the victim through out. I have text evidence that shows appreciation for the support that I gave the victim. It's a really sensitive case and is highly complex
After over a week of mixed messages on the issue the Tories finally apologised to the victim in a statement from a party spokesman but there has been no personal apology from a senior figure.While out canvassing today Mr Cairns was asked by an ITV reporter if he would like to also personally apologise to the victim.
IThe reporter then interrupted saying: "But would you like to say sorry to her?"Instead of apologising Mr Cairns said he did not want to take part in "trial by media".
He said: "It is a highly sensitive case. I want people to look at all of the facts and make a judgment according to the facts - this is not trial by media. "
For the third time the reporter asked: "Would you like to say sorry to her?"
Mr Cairns said: "The party has apologised and expressed sympathy for the victim.
"I strongly support what the party has said but it is right that there is a due process because this is not trail by media.
"We have to go through a due process and people will see all of the facts and make a judgement accordingly."
He then continued to canvass the street ignoring the questions from the reporter.
In a separate interview with BBC Wales, Mr Cairns repeatedly refused to answer questions about when he knew about Ross England's role in collapsing the rape trial.
He said: "This is a highly sensitive situation and I have taken this seriously throughout. The party has made a statement that has expressed sympathy to the victim and that is something I would fully support.
"It's important to realise that I had no association in any way with the trial and I have stood aside as the secretary of state for Wales in order to give the cabinet office the space they need in order to come to a conclusion and judgement."
Despite evidence showing that he was part of a conversation about Mr England's actions and the potential consequences in August last year, he told the BBC reporter: "I had no association with the trial in any way shape or form. I had no communication from the court or from the judge...."
When was pressed by the reporter, who pointed out that he was one of the top people in his party and that Ross England was his friend, he said: "Well, let the cabinet look at all the evidence and they will make a judgement rather than be faced by trial by media."
But the England/Cairns row is also about to what extent senior Conservatives were aware that the Judge in the "Sabotaged rape case" had said
"Mr England, as far as I am concerned, this matter so far as you are concerned isn’t ended. I shall be writing personal letters to people who are politically close to you and I hope they take appropriate action. Get out of my court.
It is not Mr Cairns who is alone in not dealing swiftly with Ross England but the parties Welsh and UK hierarchy
Voters throughout Wales who consider voting Tory , should clearly ask whether they are the right people to represent them.
He then walked off as the reporter asked him: "But what about the email Mr Cairn
1 comment:
It is very gratifying to see there is huge collective disgust at the shady conduct of ex Sec of State Alun Cairns. Given that so much information is already known as a matter of record this volume of criticism is justified.
However what is less easy to justify is the fact that much of the noise about Cairns comes from the Labour Party in Wales, a party that can’t bring itself to confront the truth about the dismissal and death of Carl Sargeant at it might reveal that it too favours deceit above transparency when such episodes need to be “managed”.
An all round clean up is required where the likes of Cairns, Carwyn and any others implicated and found to be "soiled" should be put out of politics permanently, not shoved upstairs into that House of Lords which already overfull with dodgy dealers.
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