MPs question G4S in public service roles

Veteran Bolsover MP Dennis Skinner condemned the government-led committee overseeing the Olympics for believing in the Tory mantra of "public sector bad, private sector good."

Fellow left MP Ian Lavery demanded to know whether disgraced G4S will be allowed to tender for any government contracts in the future.

Labour shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper asked incredulously: "How on earth can the minister responsible for Olympic security be the only person who did not know?"

Derisive laughter broke out during Commons exchanges as Home Secretary Theresa May refused to apologise. She told Ms Cooper: "You say we need to get a grip. That is precisely what we have been doing."

Greater Manchester Police revealed today that front-line officers had to be rushed in to provide security at an Olympic team hotel in Salford after only 17 of the expected 56 G4S staff turned up.

In another panic move, it was announced that officers from nine police forces will be drafted in to help plug the gaps in Olympic security.

Private enterprise-crazed Prime Minister David Cameron was exposed today as an Olympic chump when it was revealed that he has regularly chaired key meetings on security.

A Downing Street spokesman admitted that the PM had led a series of Olympic strategy meetings in recent months and was involved in the emergency decision to deploy 3,500 extra troops.

The PM's spokesman repeated Home Secretary Theresa May's feeble claim that the massive shortfall in G4S security staff had only "crystallised" in the middle of last week.

A new bonus scandal loomed amid revelations that G4S chief executive Nick Buckles could be entitled to £20 million in pay and benefits if he loses his job over the Olympics security disaster.

The company's board would have to decide if he could keep his £5.3m performance plan, in addition to £5m worth of shares, an £8.7m pension pot and an annual salary of £830,000.

Mr Buckles has been summoned to appear today before the Commons home affairs committee along with the company's "global events specialist" Ian Horseman-Sewell.

G4S shares plunged by nearly 10 per cent today.

rogerbagley@peoples-press.com