Rishi Sunak regularly takes notes and signs official documents with an erasable ink pen. Use of this writing tool opens up opportunities for Downing Street abuse – Starch Watchman.
Several photographs of the Prime Minister were taken even when he was Minister of Finance, in which he uses a disposable Pilot V fountain pen. Recently, two weeks ago, he made notes about this at a cabinet meeting. He was also depicted with this pen at international summits, including the meeting of the European Political Community, which took place in Moldova at the beginning of June.
the ink pen In the UK it costs 4.75 pounds two thousand forints. It is declared that ink can be erased without a trace. According to the Japanese stationery manufacturer
Perfect for those learning to write in ink, because if they make a mistake, the ink can be erased with a conventional ink eraser.
Sunak’s practice is a cause for concern because his handwritten notes can be deleted from government archives – for example, before independent investigations can take place. Downing Street noted that the erasable ballpoint pen was purchased through a public purchase and is widely used in Whitehall, including by permanent secretaries in ministries.
Written records of previous British prime ministers have served as an essential resource for historians who have explored in detail the inner workings of government during key periods.
Margaret Thatcher’s handwritten notes revealed, for example, what emergency measures she had planned during the miners’ strike and how there were disagreements within Cabinet over the response to the Falkland Islands invasion.
American presidents are a dime a dozen
Without exception, Presidents of the United States use permanent ink pens, so there is no risk of lettering being erased, fading, or being damaged by heat and moisture.
Recently, it has become much more expensive than the Pilot V and is plated in gold on the White House desk through the second century A pen waiting for the chief to sign documents with it.
And if the document is considered historical, then there are traditionally dozens of centuries crossed before the president – as evidenced by the CNN recording It seems.
Joe Biden, for one, took them all in hand. By custom, these pens are donated to those who played an important role in creating the historical document.
Forgot which president started the tradition.
The frowning king
Sunak has previously been captured in several photos signing documents with a traditional ink pen. One of these was, for example, an economic agreement with India in October 2020, which he signed as finance minister.
Downing Street insiders insist the prime minister keeps all his notes, and Sunak’s press secretary told:
The prime minister has never used the delete function and never will.
Incidentally, the government has recently been criticized for its lack of transparency after it intended to go to court. This is how he wanted to prevent anyone from accessing internal messages shared via WhatsApp during the pandemic – even though the Prime Minister’s circle claimed they had no secrets.
Rishi Sunak has been seen using erasable ink pens in official documents and in meetings https://t.co/nagjzV9Agy
– guard (guardian) June 27, 2023
On the other hand, The Guardian revealed that the Sunak government provided complete information on a third of the ongoing cases only in the first three months of the year. Of the 11,597 “resolvable requests”, only 3,895 were fully responded to.
“When trust in politicians hits rock bottom, official documents of the prime minister signed in erasable ink can literally push him off the ground,” said Tom Brake, director of Civic Research and a former Liberal MP, about the new practice.
Incidentally, King Karoli also had trouble signing. A recording shared on Index also reveals the reason for his strange grimness unworthy of a ruler.
(Cover photo by Rishi Sunak on May 19, 2022. Photo by Alex Krause/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
