Bailiffs Sent to Unite, Skwawkbox Blogger Faces Bankruptcy After Failure to Pay Legal Fees

Enforcement action is once again been taken against Unite and Skwawkbox, after both failed to cough up the £680,000 accrued in legal fees following former Labour MP Anna Turley’s libel victory against them in December 2019. This after they were already forced to fork out £75,000 to Turley personally… 

Turley sued Unite and Skwawkbox’s Steve Walker after Walker ran an article accusing her of joining the union using a 50p membership rate intended for the unemployed, with Turley claiming Walker and Unite damaged her reputation and misused her private information. The expensive High Court hearing found in her favour.

Now it turns out the legal bills Unite and Skwawkbox racked up in their failed defence are still unpaid, so bailiffs will be knocking at the union’s offices today. Turley’s lawyers have also commenced bankruptcy proceedings against Walker. Of course this all reflects on the judgement of Howard Beckett, who currently is the union’s legal officer standing as the hard-left’s candidate for general secretary…

mdi-timer 25 May 2021 @ 11:56 25 May 2021 @ 11:56 mdi-twitter mdi-facebook mdi-whatsapp mdi-telegram mdi-linkedin mdi-email mdi-comment View Comments
Labour MP Accused of Exploitation Over Job Listing

The new Labour MP for Jarrow, Kate Osborne, has been accused of trying to exploit prospective parliamentary staffers after putting up a job listing for a ‘Senior Caseworker’ which goes well beyond the typical list of responsibilities for the role. One current staffer described it as being “senior caseworker and researcher and office manager” all rolled into one, for no extra pay…

Kerri Prince, who is a Labour councillor and staffer for Alex Cunningham MP, said merely reading the job description gave her “burnout”, and commented that “A staff member would not get through this list of work even if they worked 8 days a week” before going on to alert the Unite union to the listing. Labour MP, Alex Sobel, and former MP Anna Turley, have also criticised the listing…

The full list of responsibilities the Labour MP is asking for – for as little as £27,324 a year – are:

  • Analyse, evaluate and interpret data to ensure the Member is accurately informed on key issues and is aware of trends
  • Attend surgeries, tribunals and meetings as appropriate
  • Develop knowledge in specialist areas
  • Ensure all cases are logged; monitor progress and ensure all identified actions are taken
  • Ensure records are kept and information managed confidentially and in line with the Data Protection Act
  • Follow up on social media queries and comments
  • Gather relevant information to resolve or progress cases
  • Liaise with Government agencies, voluntary sector and others to resolve constituency matters
  • Manage and progress portfolio of casework appropriately
  • Manage projects
  • Manage the MP’s website contents
  • Monitor media coverage, liaise with media, prepare press releases as required (on constituency, non-party political matters)
  • Prepare media briefings
  • Proactive and re-active communications with all media
  • Provide briefings for the MP
  • Publicise the Member’s parliamentary duties on Social Media
  • Research local, regional or national issues to support MPs’ work
  • Respond to routine correspondence and enquiries from constituents, the media, lobbyists and pressure groups
  • Supervise other members of staff
  • Take initial action on queries from members of the public, including responding on behalf of the MP as appropriate

As ever with Labour, on workers’ rights it’s ‘do as I say and not as I do’…

mdi-timer 23 January 2020 @ 10:15 23 Jan 2020 @ 10:15 mdi-twitter mdi-facebook mdi-whatsapp mdi-telegram mdi-linkedin mdi-email mdi-comment View Comments
Former Labour MP Sending Bailiffs to Unite

Back in December, the former MP for Redcar, Anna Turley, successfully won a court case against Unite and Skwawkbox for libel, with her winning £75,000 in damages, with both organisations being jointly liable for covering both the payout and the court cost.

Last night, Turley reared her head once more to announce the two have failed to pay the damages and costs, and subsequently her solicitors were starting enforcement proceedings.

In the latest development, the former MP has published a letter from her solicitors declaring given Unite’s failure to pay up, “The only conclusion we can draw is that your clients have deliberately chosen to cause further distress to Ms Turley or they are incompetent. Which is it?”, going on to say

“We have prepared enforcement papers that will permit bailiffs to attend at your clinets’ premises to enforce the two final judgements. We shall issue these when the Court opens on Monday morning if the full judgement debts, together with ongoing interest, have not been satisfied.”

This is much more entertaining than the Labour leadership contest…

UPDATE: Unite and Skwawkbox have finally coughed up

mdi-timer 17 January 2020 @ 16:10 17 Jan 2020 @ 16:10 mdi-twitter mdi-facebook mdi-whatsapp mdi-telegram mdi-linkedin mdi-email mdi-comment View Comments
Skwawkbox Loses Libel Case; Former Labour MP Awarded £75,000

Despite losing her Redcar seat last week, Anna Turley’s fortunes have brightened today after emerging victorious from her high court libel fight with Skwawkbox and being awarded £75,000 in damages. Withhold your laughter…

The case in question surrounded a blog post on the site in 2017 containing a press statement from Unite, which gave the impression she had been dishonest when applying to join the union – in turn also misusing her private information. During the hearings, both Unite and Skwawkbox blogger Stephen Walker claimed she wasn’t fit to be an MP – something, ironically, the voters of Redcar agreed with…

Turley had wanted over £100,000, only to be haggled down to just £75,000 in damages – still thousands more than Guido presumes Skwawkbox can afford. Read Turley’s full statement below:

Read More

mdi-timer 19 December 2019 @ 16:08 19 Dec 2019 @ 16:08 mdi-twitter mdi-facebook mdi-whatsapp mdi-telegram mdi-linkedin mdi-email mdi-comment View Comments
Labour MPs’ Damning Responses to Panorama

Is this the moment when Labour MPs finally stand up and do something about it? Or do they just go back to campaigning to make Jeremy Corbyn Prime Minister anyway?

mdi-timer 11 July 2019 @ 09:46 11 Jul 2019 @ 09:46 mdi-twitter mdi-facebook mdi-whatsapp mdi-telegram mdi-linkedin mdi-email mdi-comment View Comments
Labour Trying to Legalise Political Campaigning To Weaponise Charities

charity-bill
While everyone is distracted by the “Revenge Reshuffle” six Labour MPs are trying to push through in the Committee stage of the Charities Bill being discussed at this very moment. The MPs (all new members have tabled a New Clause that would green light to political lobbying by charities.

Power to make representations

(1) A charity may undertake political campaigning or political activity in the context of supporting the delivery of its charitable purposes.
(2) A charity may campaign to ensure support for, or to oppose, a change in the law, policy or decisions of central government, local authorities or other public bodies.

The newly elected Louise Haigh, Peter Kyle, Conor McGinn, Jo Stevens, Wes Streeting, Anna Turley are trying to legalise partisan left-wing charity sock-puppeting by the legislative back door. Surely the Tory MPs on the Committee will oppose this retrograde amendment?

mdi-timer 5 January 2016 @ 16:26 5 Jan 2016 @ 16:26 mdi-twitter mdi-facebook mdi-whatsapp mdi-telegram mdi-linkedin mdi-email mdi-comment View Comments