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(Continued from overleaf)
In an attempt to buy time Young sent it immediately to the Serious Fraud Office for consideration of possible criminal charges against the Fayed brothers. Many MPs wondered what the Inspectors had uncovered -and Jeff Rooker and Teddy Taylor were certainly two MPs who wanted to know.
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Jeff Rooker (Labour back-bench MP)
Back-bench Labour MP Jeff Rooker (now Lord Rooker) started to raise awkward questions in the Commons about the delay, and so became another recipient of
Mohamed Fayed's letters via Francesca Pollard, which by this time had become quite defamatory. By early 17 January 1989 'Pollard's' letters started to get a little stronger, even hinting that Rooker might have been bribed:
'Dear Mr Rooker,
Thank you for your undated and offensive note received earlier this month… It does not surprise
me that you found my last letter to you offensive. I make no apologies. If you and your family had
suffered such pain at Rowland's hands as we have then I am sure that you, too, would feel the same.
That is why your support for such an evil man [Rowland] is so offensive to decent ordinary people,
given that you are an MP, and given that you know perfectly well what a bullying, crooked thug he
is… Why are you furthering the interests of Rowland, a man who makes Al Capone look like a
saint?…
Are you a paid consultant to Rowland/Lonrho or any of their associates, or have you received
any benefits?
…I expect Rowland's "front man", the chairman of Lonrho, Sir Edward du Cann, has been putting
the arm on you as well…'
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Sir Teddy Taylor (Conservative back-bench MP)
Meanwhile, six months later, back-bench Tory MP Teddy Taylor had also become interested in the DTI's House of Fraser investigation. So Sir Teddy became the recipient of a torrent of letters written by New and Fayed, and sent in Pollard's name, many without her consent and knowledge. One such letter from 'Pollard' was dated 10 July 1989. Note the hint of another bribery allegation at the end:
'Dear Mr Taylor,
Thank you for your letter of 16 June. I am sorry that you felt unwilling to answer the questions that
I put to you concerning your inexplicable support for Rowland and Lonrho... it is the very fact that
you are so obviously hypocritically selective in your public views regarding Rowland/Lonrho that
causes such concern and creates the atmosphere of suspicion as to your motivation.
You know, and I know, and every other informed person knows, that Rowland is a cheap
bullying crook who should have been put behind bars long ago... That is what makes your
continued (almost demented) support for him totally baseless, and sinister. That you fly in the face
of all the facts must be increasingly worrying to both your Parliamentary colleagues and to the public.
It must now be quite clear to everyone that you are Rowland/Lonrho's "man" in the House
(seemingly their only one). You act as if you are a paid consultant to them… Your attempts to
justify your blatant support for Rowland simply have no credibility…
No, Mr Taylor, when history is examined, your stance is staggeringly hypocritical and you apply
the most blatant double-standards… You cannot expect anyone to believe that your fanatical
support for Lonrho is honourable…
I am also told that you have bought, or are planning to buy, a new home or a second car. If
true, where has all this money come from?'
In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, published on 28 October 1994, Teddy Taylor referred to Fayed's campaign against him, via the Pollard letters, and he ended with a message:
'It is true that I asked many, many questions and wrote many letters to ministers about the House
of Fraser issue. It appeared to me that there was something fundamentally wrong about
the Government's treatment of the House of Fraser bids and, more worrying, it seemed quite
ridiculous to have a major inquiry into the issue [the DTI Inquiry] and then fail to publish it.
When I started asking these questions I started receiving threats. More significantly, it was
reported to me by a friend that a colleague in Parliament was peddling a story that I was on the
payroll of the Lonrho company and that to that extent my views should be disregarded.
Of course, I took up the issue with the rumour-mongering MP [Labour MP Dale Campbell-
Savours, now Lord Campbell-Savours] and he advised me that he had been supplied with
the information by a "top source". However, he agreed to stop his activities when I suggested that
the "top source" should have a meeting with me. However, rumours, however ill-founded, do not
die. Over the past week I have had six approaches from newspapers and television companies
asking about my business connections and, in one case, whether I was paid for each question.
Then we had the beginning of the Pollard correspondence. The lady explained that she was
of humble origins, but the style of her letters, as they progressed, made it clear that there
were authoritative links involved in the composition of the letters.
The whole business has been a rather nasty experience. I... hope the new standing Committee
will make a point of studying the intimidation of MPs as well as their alleged frailties.'
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Meanwhile, Fayed's use of Francesca Pollard increased. Safe in the knowledge that her campaign against Rooker, Taylor and others had remained unchecked by the Metropolitan
Police, Fayed ensured that 'Pollard's' letters and activities became even stronger and were targeted wider.
The next to suffer from Fayed's campaigns via Pollard were any persons who had dealings with the DTI Inspectors' report. The first on the list was the Corporate Affairs Minister who had recommended the appointment of the Inspectors to Paul Channon - Michael Howard MP.
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