UKIP interim leader Gerard Batten told local members in Essex last night that the party must raise £100,000 by the end of March or it will go bust:
Extraordinary admission from Gerrard Batten: he says when he came to office he found there’s no money & no plan for local elections. Says the party needs 740 candidates to get party political broadcasts for local elections
— Charlotte Rose (@CharlotteGRose) March 6, 2018
GB tells audience that if they don’t raise £100k by end of March then party will be insolvent & out of business
— Charlotte Rose (@CharlotteGRose) March 6, 2018
Remember UKIP need to find a hefty wedge to pay the costs of the Jane Collins libel trial, as well as hold another leadership election, oh, and fight the locals in May. Batten has sent a begging letter to branches trying to raise the money. Will anyone think it’s worth it?
Labour MPs endorsing Jennie Formby for general secretary have accepted £140,000 worth of donations from Unite in the past year. Naturally none of them mentioned to their followers that they are bankrolled by Formby’s union…
I’ve known and worked alongside Jennie Formby and she will make an outstanding General Secretary of the Labour Party. Can’t think of anyone more experienced, hardworking, principled and kind hearted! https://t.co/Z686FIcLSo
— Dan Carden MP (@DanCardenMP) February 27, 2018
In the last year Dan Carden has received £20,000 in cash from Unite, plus £11,475.75 to pay for staff and £1,380 to stay in the Grand Hotel at Labour conference.
I’ve known @JennieUnite for years she’s a fantastic representative of our class, a great advocate, and dedicated Trade unionist, she’d be a brilliant Gen Sec of our party https://t.co/7Ld7D9THvx
— Ian Lavery MP (@IanLaveryMP) February 27, 2018
In the last year Ian Lavery has received £10,000 in cash from Unite, plus £1,380 to stay in the Grand Hotel at Labour conference.
Delighted the amazing @JennieUnite has put herself forward to be the next Gen Sec of @UKLabour. Jennie’s knowledge of our movement is second to none, she has incredible organisational ability & huge respect within the party. She has my backing to take us to the next level #JenSec https://t.co/dRHPhEPXxp
— Laura Pidcock MP (@LauraPidcockMP) February 27, 2018
In the last year Laura Pidcock has received £20,000 in cash from Unite, plus £967 for her Christmas cards and £1,700 for hotel accommodation at Labour conference.
Solidarity forever ✊🏽 and a very public endorsement for my good friend and comrade Jennie Formby @JennieUnite for @UKLabour General Secretary 🌹 😃 #ForTheJennie #ForTheMany #JenSec https://t.co/kXsjRDl25B
— Grahame Morris (@grahamemorris) February 27, 2018
In the last year Grahame Morris has received £12,000 in cash from Unite, plus £1,380 for hotel accommodation at Labour conference.
Jennie is a strong, principled and experienced voice from our trade union movement. Her putting her name forward to succeed Iain McNicol in the important role of General Secretary of our Party is great news! https://t.co/IT2vEwN4QV
— Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) February 27, 2018
In the last year Richard Burgon has received £9,000 in cash from Unite.
Happy to support Jennie for @UKLabour GS. She’d be our second ever woman GS since 1900. Strong trade unionist and long standing #NEC member. #ForTheMany 👍 https://t.co/hjBPxnMp6B
— Karl Turner MP (@KarlTurnerMP) February 27, 2018
In the last year Karl Turner has received £4,000 in cash from Unite.
Good to see that friend and comrade @JennieUnite Jennie Formby has announced her candidacy for #JenSec of the Labour Party She certainly has my support Great candidate #ForTheJennie https://t.co/fa0QWWcNrq
— Ian Mearns MP (@IanMearnsMP) February 27, 2018
In the last year Ian Mearns has received £8,000 in cash from Unite, plus £1,380 to stay at the Grand Hotel for Labour conference.
👏🏻 #ForTheJenny #JenSec 👏🏻 https://t.co/4FUMKfdAnI
— Andrew Gwynne MP (@GwynneMP) February 27, 2018
In the last year Andrew Gwynne has received £5,000 in cash from Unite.
I’m delighted @JennieUnite is standing for @UKLabour General Secretary. She’s a fantastic organiser and fighter for justice who we’ve campaigned with for years. She’s the person with the skills to deliver Jeremy’s vision of a members-led mass party to get him into Downing St.
— John McDonnell MP (@johnmcdonnellMP) March 1, 2018
In the last year John McDonnell has received £4,000 in cash from Unite.
I can’t think of anyone better to take on leadership of our party’s head office than @JennieUnite. She not only has a formable background in the trade union movement currently as @unitetheunion south east director but is currently an amazing NEC Vice Chair.#ForTheJennie #JenSec
— Lloyd Russell-Moyle (@lloyd_rm) February 27, 2018
In the last year Lloyd Russell-Moyle has received £6,000 in cash from Unite.
Rebecca Long-Bailey and Kate Osamor are also reported to have endorsed Formby. Long-Bailey has received £8,000 in cash from Unite plus £1,035 for hotel accommodation, while Osamor has received £5,000 in cash from Unite.
Of course this doesn’t include the £3.5 million plus of donations Unite gave to the central party in the last year. How a trade union can buy control of the Labour Party…
Why won’t Tom Watson hand back the half a million quid given to him by Max Mosley, despite Labour appearing to accept he isn’t a fit and proper donor? Well, Watson uses the money to fund his private office, which at nine full time staff members is the third largest in parliament. According to the Register of Secretaries and Research Assistants, Corbyn and McDonnell are the only MPs with more staff. Watson’s office has become a significant power base and giving the money back would weaken him considerably. That’s why Seumas Milne twisted the knife into Watson with his statement ditching Mosley earlier…
If this was a £5,000 donation rather than £500,000, there seems little question that he would give the money back. Watson faced with the choice: do the right thing and hand back the cash, or keep his bumper private office bankrolled by a former fascist…
Labour say they will no longer accept donations from Max Mosley, but will keep the £500,000 he gave to Tom Watson. Eh? How does that work? Either he’s not a fit and proper donor or he is – how can Watson keep his cash?
Latest on Jared O’Mara: the LibDems are using “rumblings” of a “highly likely” by-election in Sheffield Hallam to raise £20,000 for their candidate there:
“In January, the party launched a by-election fund, spurred by rumblings about a Sheffield Hallam by-election. That by-election is still highly likely – and we need your help. We’re just £20,000 short of our goal. I’ve been to Sheffield to help our fantastic candidate, Laura Gordon. Let me tell you, she will make a fantastic MP – and be a worthy successor to Nick Clegg. Let me also tell you, if this by-election happens, we’re in with a real chance. The reception on the doors was absolutely brilliant and the team there, with support from HQ is ready to go.”
Members of O’Mara’s local Labour Party had been calling for him to stand down in time to hold a by-election on the same day as the May elections. To be fair to Jared he has actually managed to turn up for a handful of votes in the last few weeks. Still hasn’t managed his maiden speech though…
Tom Watson has backed Max Mosley and hinted he will continue to accept money from the former fascist, telling the Mail: “The views expressed by Max as a young man are not the views he holds now, just as the Rothermere family no longer uses its newspapers to support fascism”. You know you’re in trouble when you’re reaching for the tired Rothermere line like some tedious Twitter troll…
Let’s have a look at Watson’s claim that Mosley no longer holds dodgy views. Asked by Cathy Newman whether he still believes “coloured immigrants” should be repatriated, Mosley said that is “now completely academic” and “no longer a possible question”.
Asked if it was racist to say immigrants bring diseases to Britain, Mosley replied to Cathy: “I don’t know about racist”.
Asked if he thought he should say sorry, Mosley snapped: “I’ve no reason to apologise to anyone”.
Mosley then went on to defend the fascist Walter Hesketh, telling Cathy he was “a very decent person as far as I was concerned, I thought he was then and I think he is now”. Hesketh is on record saying: “If enough people vote for me… the government will be sending coloured immigrants home” and “To stop coloured immigration, vote Hesketh”. Mosley says he still thinks Hesketh is a “very decent person” now…
This all makes a mockery of Watson’s claim that Mosley’s views have changed and it is now somehow acceptable to take his cash. If a Tory had £500,000 off a former fascist who clearly still holds problematic views then Watson and Labour would be screaming the house down. Labour’s deputy leader is happy to take half a million quid from a former fascist who still thinks out-and-out racist Walter Hesketh was a “very decent person”…
