Stephen Parkinson

Articles

Apr.15.2018: I’ll sue No 10 for outing me, says sacked EU vote whistleblower . EU vote whistleblower Shahmir Sanni says he wants to take legal action against No 10 Downing Street for outing him as gay. On Mar.23., an official spokesperson for the prime minister issued an announcement on behalf of one of her advisers, Stephen Parkinson. The statement sought to deny the claims relating to electoral law and seemed to deflect criticism for Parkinson’s own involvement as a senior director of the Vote Leave campaign by revealing that he and Sanni had formerly been in a relationship for 18 months. On Friday, Sanni lost his job at the Taxpayers' Alliance, an organisation founded by Matthew Elliott, the CEO of Vote Leave, and said he now has “nothing left to lose”. Whistleblowers are protected by law under the Public Interest Disclosure Act, but Sanni was summoned to a meeting at the TaxPayers’ Alliance and told his employment had been terminated with immediate effect. Tamsin Allen, his solicitor, said Sanni is entitled to the protection of the Convention on Human Rights, which says that public bodies such as the office of the prime minister should respect the privacy rights of individuals. John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “We don’t discuss internal staffing matters in public. They are between employer and employees.” Carole Cadwalladr, The Guardian. See his Twitter post.

Mar.24.2018: May aide accused of outing former partner in Brexit row. Stephen Parkinson's former partner Shahmir Sanni has accused him of publicly disclosing his sexuality to intimidate him. Parkinson issued a statement about Sanni after hearing that Sanni was about to make claims about Vote Leave. Mr Sanni is understood to be preparing to accuse Vote Leave of breaking electoral law. His lawyers said last night that Mr Parkinson’s statement to the media had disclosed their client’s sexuality and had forced Mr Sanni “to come out to his mother and family tonight, and members of his family in Pakistan are being forced to take urgent protective measures to ensure their safety” (homosexuality is illegal in Pakistan). Mr Sanni and Mr Parkinson were in a relationship for 18 months until last September. Mr Sanni is believed to be preparing to suggest that Vote Leave illegally co-ordinated with BeLeave, another Brexit campaign, to evade spending caps. Vote Leave strongly denies the claim. Mr Sanni accused Mr Parkinson of trying to intimidate him so that he did not blow the whistle on Vote Leave. The claims of what Mr Sanni is about to say — and a rebuttal to them — come in a blog by Dominic Cummings, the former campaign director of Vote Leave. Mr Cummings revealed that Mr Sanni, a young activist who worked on Vote Leave, had suggested that the campaign organisation co-ordinated illegally with BeLeave. Cummings' blog post. Sam Coates, The Times.

Oct.02.2017: Iain Dale’s 100 most influential people on the Right 2017. Political Secretary, 10 Downing Street. Parkinson is a popular figure in Conservative Party circles. He left the Home Office to work for Vote Leave and has been Director of the Conservative History Group for some years. His is a crucial role in the Downing Street machine. Iain Dale, Conservative Home.

Oct.03.2016: Iain Dale’s 100 most influential people on the Right. Political Secretary, No.10 Downing Street. Worked closely with Timothy and Hill as one of May’s three Home Office SpAds. Parkinson is a popular figure in Conservative Party circles. He left the Home Office to work for Vote Leave and has been Director of the Conservative History Group for some years. His is a crucial role in the Downing Street machine. Iain Dale, Conservative Home.