Andy McSmith's Diary: David Cameron's Brussels soulmates are gunning for immigrants

Beatrix von Storch, a member of the European Parliament and deputy leader of Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland party, has gone even further than her leader, Frauke Petry – who called for the police to use their weapons on illegal immigrants.

Storch put a message on Facebook specifying that those weapons should be used against women and children. Later, she softened. “The use of firearms against children is not permitted,” she conceded, though “women are a different matter”.

When comments such as these are reported in the UK, the AfD is usually described as a “far-right” party, as if it were Germany’s equivalent of the BNP.

Actually, when David Cameron ran for the Tory leadership in 2005, he threw a morsel to the anti-EU right by promising to instruct Conservatives in the European Parliament to sever their links with the main block of centre-right European parties, such as Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, and create a new group of right-wing anti-federalist parties.

Thus the European Conservatives and Reformists Group came into being, with the UK Conservatives as its biggest member party, and including, from Germany, the AfD.

These “far-right” Germans who believe illegal immigrants should be shot are David Cameron’s Brussels soulmates.

Many happy returns to the Chilcot inquiry

An anniversary came and went on Tuesday. On 2 February 2011, the former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw appeared in front of the Iraq Inquiry. He was its last witness. Once his testimony was done, all that remained was for Lord Chilcot to write his report…

One rule for insider dealers, another for benefit cheats

Just 59 individuals have been prosecuted by the relevant authorities since 2009 for insider dealing, creating false statements or similar offences, according to a written answer from the Treasury minister Harriett Baldwin. Seven were acquitted. The relevant authorities are the Financial Services Authority and Financial Conduct Authority.

Meanwhile, in 2009-11, and 2012-14, 37,239 people were prosecuted for benefit fraud. The figure for 2011-12 is not available. Suspected benefits cheats who end up in court therefore outnumber city sharks and dodgy share dealers by about 900 to 1.

Last year, the Commons Public Accounts Committee asked officials from the Department for Work and Pensions whether the increased number of prosecutions was having a deterrent effect on would-be welfare fraudsters. The officials could not answer. The research had not been done.

Not hard to guess, though, how much 10 prosecutions a year does to deter a City spiv.

Cost of a helter-skelter ride goes into Orbit

An immensely long slide was supposed to be the answer to the problems besetting London’s tallest sculpture, the ArcelorMittal Orbit Tower.

Originally commissioned by Boris Johnson at a cost to the public purse of £3.1m, it was supposed to draw 350,000 visitors a year and turn in a profit, but lost money at a rate of £10,000 a week after attracting only 124,000 visitors.

So it was decided to add a helter-skelter, which would have kids speeding around the structure at up to 15mph, for a price – we were originally told – of £5 a ride. But when the London Assembly’s regeneration committee met it emerged that before you pay your £5, you must also pay a £12 entry fee.

That is £17 for a ride lasting 40 seconds.