The BBC is busy promoting its ‘fact-checking’ article on Reeves’ new farm tax. The Verify team consulted with “independent tax expert” Dan Neidle who pooh-poohs claims from farmer groups that the tax will be highly damaging to a high number of family farms. The article finishes that section by saying Environment Secretary Steve Reed “confirmed the ‘vast majority’ of farmers will not be affected by changes.” He would say that, wouldn’t he…
What the top fact-checker sleuths over at Verify have failed to mention is that their “independent expert” is a senior and longtime Labour activist. Dan Neidle wrote in his successful pitch for election to Labour’s National Constitutional Committee in 2022:
“I’ve been a member of the Labour Party for 35 years and have been a ward secretary, ward chair and CLP Secretary. More recently, I’ve been the agent for two MPs and dozens of local councillors, and helped turn seats that were once marginal into Labour strongholds. I’ve practised law for 22 years and have advised candidates, MPs and campaign groups on electoral law, successfully fighting off attempts by other parties to use the legal system against us. I know the Labour Party rulebook.”
The NCC is “a senior organ of the UK Labour Party concerned with discipline.” Neidle was election agent for both Stella Creasy and Emily Thornberry, for whom he deployed such savvy electoral tricks as sending letters from fake neighbours urging a vote for Labour. You’d think with a combined salary of £3.2 million the Verify team may have noticed that one…
Guido’s not saying the BBC shouldn’t consult people like Neidle, just that the readers might like to know who they actually are. It always conducts its due diligence with right-wingers – funny that…
Reform MP Danny Kruger welcomed adult film star Bonnie Blue’s support for the party, adding:
“I’m not going to be judgemental about people who want to vote Reform. We want all the support we can get – quite like Bonnie Blue.”