Sir Malcolm Rifkind has faced up to the inevitable and stood down as chair of parliament’s intelligence and security committee. To seasoned Westminster watchers, the circumstances appear wearily familiar: a hidden camera, a bogus foreign company, an MP (and former foreign secretary) boasting of services he can provide for money. Before this particular sting, which also ensnared former Labour cabinet minister Jack Straw, there have been many others, catching parliamentarians of every stripe appearing to trade influence for cash.
马尔科姆•里夫金德爵士(Sir Malcolm Rifkind)已经正视了不可避免的后果，卸下了英国议会情报与安全委员会(ISC)主席职位。在经验丰富的英国政坛观察家看来，这种场景似乎熟悉得令人感到厌倦：一台隐藏的摄像机，一家虚构的外国企业，一名吹嘘对方交钱后自己能提供服务的国会议员（也是前外交大臣）。这次“钓鱼”行动还“钓”出了前工党内阁大臣杰克•斯特劳(Jack Straw)，而此前的多次类似行动则“钓”出了似乎在用影响力交换金钱的形形色色的国会议员。