Labour

Many people will be shocked that this out of touch Government appears not to have dealt with tax avoidance at the top - Leslie

Chris Leslie MP, Labour’s Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury, responding to BBC Newsnight reports this evening suggesting that Danny Alexander and David Willetts approved the Chief Executive Officer of the Student Loans Company’s contract, said:

"These revelations suggest that despite what Danny Alexander told the House today, David Willetts approved Ed Lester’s contract while Danny Alexander agreed the terms which led to tax avoidance and had not ruled out other schemes of this kind for civil servants previously.

“There are serious questions to answer and it's time the Government came clean. As Ed Miliband has highlighted, responsibility at the top of society and fairness matter more than ever when times are tough.

“The hardworking majority of this country will be shocked that this out of touch Government appears not to have dealt with tax avoidance at the top. We will be seeking assurances that this practice will not continue in Government. Danny Alexander needs to come back to the House and explain why yesterday he suggested he did not know about this.”