Voice of the Mirror: There is something rotten in politics - the buck stops here

There is something rotten with our politics when access to the ruling class is determined by the size of your wallet.

If you are able to pay the big bucks, then you can have a private dinner with the PM and clutch of senior Cabinet ministers.

The Tories like to claim that raising party donations in this way is above board. But because these meetings are held in private, with no official minutes taken, it is impossible to tell if rich donors have a sinister agenda.

Nor can we say if Government decisions have been swayed to accommodate the wishes of big financial backers. It is even more suspect when it emerges that the Tories have taken nearly £3million in donations from Russian donors since Theresa May became PM.

Last year, a committee of MPs accused the Government of turning a blind eye to Russian “dirty money” in the UK despite the risk to national security. In the wake of the Skripal poisonings, Mrs May said it would no longer be “business as usual” when it came to Russia.

This clearly does not apply to the Tory Party.

Gavin’ us on

Theresa May is taking us for fools if she thinks she can sack her Defence Secretary and then claim the matter is closed.

Gavin Williamson was dismissed because the PM believed he leaked sensitive information from the National Security Council. Such a move would breach the Official Secrets Act and should be investigated by the police.

In the past, whistle-blowers caught passing on state secrets have faced the full weight of the law, such as civil servants Sarah Tisdall and Clive Ponting in the 1980s.

Mrs May’s refusal to call in the police makes it impossible to say if Mr Williamson is guilty or, as he claims, the victim of a stitch-up. We need full transparency, not a whitewash.