Guido can reveal the existence of several new funds offering to help people pay the £25 charge to vote for Corbyn, after Labour yesterday shut down a Just Giving page doing the same thing. One private Facebook group named “Gimme 25” has amassed almost 3,000 members. It avoids explicitly saying that the money will pay for votes for Corbyn. But the intention is clear:

“Sometimes if you just had £25 to help towards something important it would make all the difference. There are many people who could probably spare £25 for someone who needs it much more than they do. This group is about bringing those categories of people together. Don’t think of it as begging, just think of it as direct socialism”

A second group named the “Hardship fund” claims to have raised almost £10,000:

Meanwhile Labour supporters have received unsolicited phone calls from Corbynista activists directing them to Facebook groups offering to pay the £25 charge. One Labour supporter says:

“Just got off the phone to a dude who offered to pay me 25 quid so I can go vote for Corbyn. He definitely got my number via ‘Momentum’, but it seems like a personal mobile. He suggested a few pages that are unofficially paying for peoples memberships, when I said I didn’t have the money.”

£25 is a small price to pay to Save Jez…