At the unproductive press gallery lunch Rayner was asked about Diane Abbott’s potential return to the Labour fold. She said:
“I can’t really talk about individual cases because I wouldn’t know but I would like to see Diane back, as a person I would like to see Diane back. But the Labour Party has to follow procedures.“
Those “procedures” have dragged on for quite a bit of time now. 326 days have passed since Abbott was suspended for her 200-word letter. The choice to keep her out is a political one.
Despite rantings from the left of the party, senior personnel in Labour HQ are not keen on seeing Diane come back. An internal source tells Guido in no uncertain terms: “Abbott is a victim of racism, but that doesn’t stop her from being racist. This is a test for Keir. Everyone can see it.” Guido isn’t convinced that Starmer and his deputy are on the same page…
Labour have gone down the suspect donor rabbit hole this week. By claiming that money should be returned from a donor who said something naughty they’ve opened themselves up to obvious criticism. Longtime Labour Party donor Dale Vince has given the party at least £2.5 million to date and said in October of Hamas: “one man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter… this is my view“. No apology from Vince, no statement of criticism from Labour…
Prominent Jewish MP Andrew Percy tells Guido:
“Nobody should take a penny or have any involvement with anyone who describes the Hamas terrorists who raped Israeli women, butchered innocent children, and murdered civilians in their own homes in the most brutal way as “freedom fighters”. This is a group who want to murder not just all Jews in Israel but all Jews in this country too. Surely the Labour Party won’t want to take a penny from anyone who thinks genocidal terrorist murderers and rapists are freedom fighters.“
Labour say the comments aren’t comparable to Hester’s. Why not?
UPDATE: On Friday 4, April, 2024 lawyers acting for Dale Vince contacted us objecting to the above article claiming it would be understood to mean, that “our client supports a proscribed terrorist group”. We replied on Monday 8, April 2024 inviting Mr Vince to “to put on the record unambiguously that he does not think Hamas are freedom fighters” in which case “we will be happy to withdraw and/or amend our previous reports accordingly.” Through his lawyers Mr Vince declined so to do. They stated he had previously condemned terrorism on the record. We accept and never claimed otherwise that Mr Vince has previously condemned terrorism including saying of the specific acts of Hamas terrorism on the weekend of October 7, 2023 “I don’t support what they did”. We remain baffled therefore why he won’t even through his lawyers confirm that he does not think Hamas are, in the words he used, “freedom fighters”.
Labour have spent the week saying the Tories should pay back the £10 million they received from someone who they say said something racist. Similarly long time Labour Party donor Dale Vince has given Starmer’s party at least £2.5 million to date, including a £1 million cheque late last year. He’s recently launched an initiative calling for the youth of Britain to vote Labour. Well and truly in the fold of Labour’s funding class…
While we’re on the subject of extremist donors and returning their donations…https://t.co/rkaxVMJqZR pic.twitter.com/NxHEgrBKKz
— Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) March 13, 2024
If Labour thinks donors’ cash donations should be returned when they say extreme things, what do they make of Vince’s views? Late last year on Times Radio, after saying that Hamas should be able to defend itself, Vince stated that “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter“. When challenged on the fact that saying Hamas are freedom fighters isn’t the official Labour position, Vince said: “This is my view, this is how I feel“. When can we expect Starmer to announce that the £2.5 million will be returned?
UPDATE: On Friday 4, April, 2024 lawyers acting for Dale Vince contacted us objecting to the above article claiming it would be understood to mean, that “our client supports a proscribed terrorist group”. We replied on Monday 8, April 2024 inviting Mr Vince to “to put on the record unambiguously that he does not think Hamas are freedom fighters” in which case “we will be happy to withdraw and/or amend our previous reports accordingly.” Through his lawyers Mr Vince declined so to do. They stated he had previously condemned terrorism on the record. We accept and never claimed otherwise that Mr Vince has previously condemned terrorism including saying of the specific acts of Hamas terrorism on the weekend of October 7, 2023 “I don’t support what they did”. We remain baffled therefore why he won’t even through his lawyers confirm that he does not think Hamas are, in the words he used, “freedom fighters”.
Labour has just released a new “bombshell” dossier arguing that, by making noises about scrapping National Insurance, the Tories are wiping out revenue “earmarked for the state pension and NHS.” At PMQs Starmer suggested Sunak would either cut the state pension or NHS spending. A basic misunderstanding of how NI works.
National Insurance “contributions” are a myth. The tax is not hypothecated at all. You are not contributing to a fund to get benefits in return. State pensions, benefits, and the NHS are all paid for by general taxation. Labour’s leader is peddling untruths. It’s no wonder Starmer wants NI kept high – Labour’s favourite think tanks want the limited tax extended to all other sources of income rather than just employment. A tax grab that would scour even more cash from the public…
Read the full sham “dossier” below:
According to the Parliament’s website, it looks like Andy McDonald has had the Labour whip reinstated, having had it suspended for his “river to the sea” speech at a pro-Palestine back in October. Looks like LOTO snuck bringing back Andy into the fold past hacks on 11th March…
Left-wing MPs have long been calling for Andy to have the whip reinstated, and Labour perhaps wanted to appease them whilst not whipping up a storm by making a press release. We have contacted Labour for comment with no response. All eyes on what LOTO’s response is now..
UPDATE: A Labour spokesman breaks the party’s silence: “The investigation concluded that he had not engaged in conduct that was against the party’s rulebook”.
Yesterday Rayner’s spokesman retorted to a GB News request: “Gossip and hearsay does not change the fact that Angela Rayner maintained her own home while sharing childcare responsibilities with her husband at his property.” Reports from multiple neighbours that she is not telling the truth about where she was living to avoid paying tax, losing her council house discount and having to remortgage with a buy-to-let mortgage are more than just gossip. When she next does a sit-down interview she can explain herself..
