Political sources from London supplied HotNews.ro with an electronic letter sent to the European Commission President Manuel Barroso, where British MEP Gerard Batten challenges the suitability of Baroness Ashton for the EU Foreign minister role. In his letter, Batten presses to have British Baroness Catherine Ashton's past investigated for alleged Soviet connections during her time as Treasurer for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the beginning of the '80. MEP Gerard Batten confirmed having sent the letter to Barroso for HotNews.ro correspondent in London. BaronessAshton denies any connection with the Soviets.
Gerard Batten is member of the European Parliament on the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) lists. UKIP is part of the euro-sceptic trend, requesting for Great Britain to leave the European Union.
In the letter sent to Barroso, Batten claims that Baroness Catherine Ashton is under suspicions of having had relations with USSR representatives during 1980 – 1982, in her role as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) Treasurer.
Gerard Batten's letter to Manuel Barroso:
Dear Mr Barroso, I was unable able to ask you a question today in the chamber. I would therefore like to make you acquainted with certain facts and ask you three questions. Baroness Ashton was Treasurer for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), 1980-1982. CND was notoriously secretive about its sources of funding and did not submit its accounts to independent audit; however, after public pressure they were audited for the first time in 1982-1983 (Godfrey Lord & Co). It was found that 38% of their annual income (£176,197) could not be traced back to the original donors. The person responsible for this part of CND fund-raising, from anonymous donors, was Will Howard, a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. The Russian dis