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DERMOT MURNAGHAN: Now then, a Panama Papers, as they’re called, taskforce as well as releasing the Prime Minister’s own personal tax details, Number Ten has announced a cross party investigation into allegations of offshore tax dodging and money laundering.  Conservative Minister, Brandon Lewis, joins me from Chelmsford and a very good morning to you Mr Lewis.  Is this just a knee jerk reaction, a diversionary tactic?  This is something that all the bodies that are mentioned in the taskforce have been doing for a long time isn’t it?

BRANDON LEWIS: Well I think it is very clear statement about a determination to see the right thing being done, something the Prime Minister has been very clear about.  One of the things that was interesting listening to the conversation with the Labour Shadow Chancellor earlier actually was talking about not making personal attacks and he then goes on to do exactly that.  This is a government and a Prime Minister who has consistently actually raised this issue on the agenda, got it on the G10 and 20 agenda and indeed is going to have a summit on it in just a few weeks’ time.  This is a government that has put this kind of behaviour absolutely at the heart of the international community and puts it on the agenda actually over the last few years.  

DM: Yes but the point being about this announcement today and its relation to the Prime Minister’s troubles, we’ve got HMRC, the National Crime Agency and on the list goes.  I mean if they haven’t been investigating this kind of thing already what have they been doing?

BRANDON LEWIS: Well actually I think it’s a very clear statement that the government is determined to make sure that the right thing is done, that we get to the bottom of what’s happened with a very clear and open statement about doing that, I think that’s to be welcomed.   

DM: And does it knock on now the publication of some of the Prime Minister’s tax affairs, does it knock on to the Chancellor as many members of opposition parties are saying today, because of course George Osborne is meant to be presiding over these kind of investigations?

BRANDON LEWIS: I think the Prime Minister made it very clear.  The Prime Minister is in a very unique position and actually admits openly, in fact has the most transparent situation of any Prime Minister we’ve ever had.  He’s put that out there, he’s been very clear about that and shows he has arguably paid more tax than he needed to and the Prime Minister is in a unique position as the leader of our country and I think anybody who is challenging to be in that position as the Leader of the Opposition is at a general election has to be in that position to be that transparent now.  I think the current Prime Minister David Cameron has set that trend and I think that’s a good thing and it shows just how open and transparent he is determined to be.  

DM: Clearly the Prime Minister is unique but so is the Chancellor but you are saying no need for him then to publish his affairs?  

BRANDON LEWIS: Well this is a fresh debate that’s started, we’ll all see how this develops and goes forward over the weeks and months ahead but we also have to be very clear I think and actually John McDonnell did kind of touch on this but didn’t give a very clear position, that actually all Members of Parliament, our salaries are in the public domain, we have to declare things on the Members Register of Interests, much of that gets widely publicised from time to time but I think the Prime Minister is in a unique position and I think he has been absolutely clear about wanting to be as transparent and I think we have to be very clear as well, all the experts have been clear, the Prime Minister has done things absolutely correctly and paid all tax that has been due when it has been due and I think being transparent about that sends a very clear message for people in that job in the future.   

DM: So what hopes should we have for this taskforce?  Let’s take you back not very long ago to HSBC and its problems in Switzerland and 1000 people investigated for offshore accounts, one prosecution.  

BRANDON LEWIS: Well I think actually it is very important to remember that work was done, that taskforce looks at what had happened and comes to a conclusion about what is correct and what has been done. Obviously that predated our government side but we made sure that that investigation was done and I think the Prime Minister, and this actually highlights my point a few moments ago.  We’ve got a Prime Minister who from the very beginning in 2010, all the way through, has been clear about these things should be transparent, we should do things properly.  We are a party that believes in a low tax economy, we want people to keep more of their own money, to spend it in our economy but to pay the right tax that is due and to have that in a fair and proper way, both for the taxpayer and for the public sector that provides the services those taxes pay for and actually putting it on the agenda of even the G20 a few years ago to get this international discussion going, because we are in a global economy now, I think was a really important step and shows how much importance the Prime Minister has put on this actually for a very long time.

DM: You say it’s a party issue, a party priority, we will want to know then will we not as voters from all members of the Conservative party in parliament, do they use offshore funds in any way?

BRANDON LEWIS: Well I think as I said earlier on, the Prime Minister is in a unique position and somebody who is running to be Prime Minister, the leader of the core opposition particularly obviously, we’ll see if Jeremy Corbyn publishes and what he publishes, if he publishes his statements.  You have to remember that all Members of Parliament, everybody in the public and private sector will potentially have pensions and those pensions are invested in unit trusts and things like that.  As long as the tax is paid in this country as has been absolutely done by the Prime Minister, I think people will see that as a proper and fair thing to do and of course all Members of Parliament, our salaries as Ministers and as Members of Parliament and any outside interests we have are public domain issues anyway.

DM: As you mentioned, you listened to the Shadow Chancellor’s interview with me just a few minutes ago, he said there when it comes to the cash in hand economy within the UK all taxes should be paid on even the smallest of transactions.  

BRANDON LEWIS: Well I would say to anybody, and I have to say it is not often I’ll agree with John McDonnell but everybody has to do things correctly and we have to understand there are rules there that should be abided by.  My mum always taught me and my dad, you take care of the pennies and the pounds take care of themselves, these things do matter but we have to be very clear I think, just a little bit cautious.  We want people to be successful, people should not be ashamed of being successful and I think we’ve got to make clear if people are successful it is something we as a country should be proud of.  If they are earning a lot of money, particularly if they are working hard and being successful, they are likely to be employing other people and that is a good thing.  What we also need to be sure is that everybody is paying their tax in an appropriate and proper way and that is what the tax office do.  It is why the Chancellor and the Prime Minister have made sure we put an extra £1.8 billion into the teams that do the work to make sure it is done as efficiently and effectively and indeed increase the tax take by cracking down on evasion and avoidance to the tune of about £12 billion with 40 changes since 2010 and we’ve already outlined a further 25 changes which will bring in a further £16 billion cracking down on this kind of behaviour.  I think that shows we are a government that is very determined about this.

DM: So your assessment, Mr Lewis, then is what, the Prime Minister is undamaged by all this?

BRANDON LEWIS: Well I think the Prime Minister has shown a very human side, as he himself said yesterday.  His first reaction, knowing he had done nothing wrong, all the experts and indeed to the media has been clear, he has actually paid all of the tax that was due, but he was also very concerned to protect his family.  I think it is quite natural, quite human when you see someone in your family, particularly someone who has passed away, somebody like your father being attacked for something, I think it’s quite human nature to come out and defend them and I have great respect for him for doing that and protecting and defending his own family.

DM: Mr Lewis, thank you very much indeed.  Brandon Lewis there in Chelmsford.