Throwing the book at Sir Fred
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Opinion

Throwing the book at Sir Fred

Former Banker Fred Goodwin

Fred Goodwin’s column inches continue to match the losses he racked up at Royal Bank of Scotland. After the summer saga of his superinjunction, in which, under the privilege of the House of Commons, a UK MP revealed his affair with a senior bank colleague, now two new books reveal more details of what else Fred the Shred was up to as RBS collapsed.

First comes a new book called Masters of Nothingby two UK Tory party apparatchiks. In it, authors Matthew Hancock and Nadhim Zahawi reveal how Goodwin crumbled when pink wafers were put out on the biscuit plate at an important meeting, prompting an irate email entitled "Rogue biscuits".

Sir Fred wasn’t the only RBS exec with a fine eye for detail.

One thing Sir Fred could be proud of, however, is a seemingly unique ability to unite both sides of the UK political divide.

Former UK chancellor Alistair Darling says in his new book Back from the Brink: 1,000 days at Number 11that Goodwin "deserves to be a pariah" for refusing to give up his pension; and his attitude towards the crisis was in keeping with "someone wanting to play a round of golf".

A comment that will no doubt be another albatross around Sir Fred’s neck.

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