Talk:Jeremy Hunt (politician)

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I quote - 'Hunt hung back for many years from putting himself forward for selection as a parliamentary candidate. When asked why he argued that he felt that he had "not achieved enough" in the real world outside politics.'

Where is the reference for this statement? This is another miserable example of anonymous MPs trying to increase their profile by editing their own wikipedia entries. Shame on you Mr Hunt.Hyperbole11 15:09, 30 October 2007 (UTC)


Biased article, with a load of foaming-at-the-mouth cant about the British Council. Revise!

I have added an internal link to the South West Surrey Westminster constituency page, and have added an election result box. I did this through copying and pasting text from the link which used a template: TG312274 18:08, 15 November 2005 (UTC)

Two things - 1. what is it about the British COuncil? If people have an allegation to amke they should do it in the open, not through Wikipedia, otherwise I think it is classed as a smear. 2. The photo of Douglas Alexander can hardly be used to suggest that he was flirting New Labour before the 2005 election as the photo was taken when he was an MP! To avoid allegations of pro-unt bias I have removed unsourced statements about his beliefs. Jimbo H 14:45, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

First of all: Jeremy Hunt MP does not declare his very close business interest with The British Council in the House of Commons register of interest but does mention there that Hotcourses of which he is one the directors makes a financial contribution to his office at Westminster.

Whoever deleted from this Wikipedia article the cross-reference to the register of interest that substantiates this link does not act in the ethos of Wikipedia which is all about transparency.

The link between Hunt's parent company and Sheffield Data Services has also been removed from the site despite that also being mentioned in his Commons entry. That too is an important business link between a serving politician and the British Council which the general public is I think entitled to know about - not least given Mr Hunt's recent promotion to a Conservative Shadow Cabinet which has strong links with business. (See: 'Tory MPs' second jobs spark concern' Financial Times Tuesday August 14 2007). His portfolio is now 'culture' but will he, for example, be lining up with Fay Weldon and others to comment on the closure of British Council libraries in Europe?

As to the questions of business ethics the links with his current culture portfolio and with his predecessor Virginia Bottomley MP (who was British Council trustee when questions over intellectual property arose, and were hushed up by British Council - which is accountable to no-one and a public scandal) is established fact. A quick check back through History pages of this site to the original Tory 'puff' will even reveal that this described Bottomley as Jeremy Hunt's 'patron'. The photo of Douglas Alexander MP was, as far as I can see, prominently displayed on Mr Hunt's own constituency website with a reference to the 'Devil's Punch Bowl' that is unambiguous.

I suggest that whoever has tampered with these contributions reinstate the link to this politician's declared interests and the undeclared connection with The British Council which is implicit - but concealed for some reason.


This is the person who was been editing, not tampering Jeremy Hunt's wiki entry. When you say "whoever" I have at least registered my name rather than hiding behing an anonymous IP address.

MPs do not ahev to declare a connection unless they receive a direct financial contribution form an organisation - I assume that this isn't what you're accusing him of? I am still not sure what you accusing him of directly doing but as I stated in my previous post, serious allegations should be dealt with in the open and not anonymously through Wikipedia. Jimbo H 09:13, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

This Wikipedia entry is a sycophantic Tory puff. At the very least Wikipedia users are entitled to some facts about this Shadow Cabinet member whose name is not exactly on the tip of journalistic tongues. Instead of (unsourced) PR waffle about how he hung back from politics until he could make something of his self in life and how doing his finals was the toughest year of his life, it remains my humble - and disinterested - opinion that his current business links with The British Council (a publicly funded organisation falling within his current parliamentary brief)remain a matter of public interest. For some reason best known to himself Jeremy Hunt MP is very coy about these BC links.

Evidence of this can be seen, for example, in The House of Commons Minutes of the International Development Committee for Thursday 14 July 2005 under item 1 where members including Mr Hunt were asked to declare interests. Contrast his entry on that occasion with that of his Labour colleague Joan Ruddock MP: "Jeremy Hunt declared the following interests: remunerated directorship of Hotcourses Ltd. Hotcourses owns 50% of Sheffield Data Services Ltd and 100% of Schoolsnet; Consultant, Bristol Port Company; he declared a loan to his brother for use in his company Peacock Blue Ltd, and was an unremunerated Director and Trustee of the Hotcourse Foundation." What is left undeclared is the link between Hotcourses, Sheffield Data Services and Schoolsnet and The British Council - one of the main organisations this committee comments on.

Contrast Mr Hunt's approach to disclosure with that of Joan Ruddock MP. She has no directorships but "Joan Ruddock declared a non-pecuniary interest in that she is twinned with a woman MP in Zambia, arranged by the British Council". Now take a look at the press release linking Hunt to British Council on http://www.ucas.ac.uk/new/press/archive/news2001/bc2208.html and ask yourself why his Wikipedia entry mentions an old client list (BT, Bull Integris, Zetafax) of one of his previous PR companies but makes no mention of the fact that his parliamentary assistants (who get access to Westminster and Researchers passes) are supported by declared financial contributions from Hotcourses one of whose main clients is this peculiar quasi-governmental body British Council which has semi-diplomatic status, Neil Kinnock as its Chairperson, has recently been designated as a Home Office approved accreditor for immigration purposes, is currently in the midst of a huge row over its 'cultural' role not least in respect of the closures of libraries and information centres and its treatment of staff.

I have no objection whatsoever to this article having a link to Surrey Conservatives - but would point out the apparent contradiction in edits which add that in with one hand while taking out with the other the page reference from that same website in which Jeremy HuntMP is pictured with Labour's Douglas Alexander MP in 'The Devil's Punchbowl' - and expresses his support for the London Olympics. As that issue too may have an impact on his current Shadow Cabinet Culture responsibility that should stay too.


The place to discuss the problems of the British Council is on the British Council page. If you read my previous comments you would see that the reason I pulled out the web page showing Douglas Alexander is that it was inj the context of Jeremy thinking of changing parties BEFORE he was adopted as a candidate when the picture was clearly taken when he was an MP. With regards again to the British Council, as it is sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office it does not fall within his brief. I would also point out that you are hardly disinterested if you are editing a Wikipedia page.Jimbo H 13:19, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

I am certainly very interested in The British Council which is a strangely unaccountable organisation which tries to edit its own Wikipedia entries to mislead the general public. I also believe very strongly in accountability of MPs and point out again that this concern is shared by 'The Financial Times'. I have no knowledge at all about Jeremy Hunt's political dithering before or after he enters Westminster as successor to Virginia Bottomley who was on the Board of Trustees of The British Council at the time of his business dealings.

If Jeremy Hunt MP or his supporters believe that 'as it is sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office [British Council - which styles itself as 'the UK international organisation for cultural relations and education'] does not fall within his brief' as Shadow Minister of Culture (sic) then the sooner a Hotcourse sponsored assistant finds the man a dictionary the better.

You are on a losing wicket, Jimbo. Wikipedia is not a personal advertising service for Conservative MPs. The undeclared interest in the British Council by Jeremy Hunt MP when he served on a Select Committee covering that body is clearly sourced above - and remains a matter of considerable public interest.

I would agree that the fact the Hotcourses has The British Council as a client is of interest and I didn't take it down when I last made some changes. It is however the case that the British Council is responsible to FCO rather than DCMS and I'm sure that you should be able to find that out relatively simply - I can tell you where to look if you want. I agree that Wiki should not have negative postings removed by people with a connection to the page in question and neither should i be used for promotion but neither should it be used for smears. You appear to imply that there are some shady dealings going ahead and as I have stated twice before, Wikipedia is not the place to air these grievances. Jimbo H 14:07, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

The British Council is a major client. It is also by no means as transparent as you imply. There is nothing simple about getting answers out of British Council. But if you come across minutes (?) of any meetings involving Jeremy Hunt and the British Council's deal with Hotcourses, do be sure to post them.