Claudia Webbe is back in court today to “clear her name” by appealing her harassment conviction and sentence following the trial last November. Webbe was whacked with a 10-week jail term, suspended for two years, for threatening to throw acid over her partner’s friend and share naked pictures of her. Labour eventually suspended her from the party after the verdict, although Webbe has still been swanning around Parliament as an independent MP for the last six months… 

This morning her lawyer released a statement:

“Ms Webbe continues to maintain her innocence and is looking forward to the opportunity to clear her name. Her priority is to continue to serve the people of Leicester East. She will not be answering any further questions at this stage, and asks that her privacy be respected. ”

Why should her privacy be respected? She was convicted of a crime in an open court – there is no reason why her privacy should be respected in this matter. The Labour Party has previously said they’ll push for a recall petition and a by-election if Webbe doesn’t resign if her appeal doesn’t overturn the judgement. The hearing is expected to last two days. It’s all or nothing…