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Peter Oborne: What Morgan McSweeney did in the shadows is set to haunt Starmer’s Labour

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Discussing a forthcoming book by investigative journalist Paul Holden titled The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/mcsweeney-did-in-shadows-haunt-starmer-labour

Downing Street’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who was the director of the Labour Together think tank, undated image (PA)

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Holden’s book will contain allegations of irregularities concerning what he calls “a secret unlawful fund” and more than £700,000 of hidden donations to a think tank run by McSweeney.

These revelations are potentially dangerous for McSweeney. Far more importantly, they may impact viscerally on Starmer himself.

This is because, according to Holden, the purpose of McSweeney’s think tank, misleadingly called Labour Together, was to supercharge Starmer’s path to Downing Street.

Once Starmer was installed in No 10 he rewarded McSweeney by making him Downing Street chief of staff.

The Tory Party is now claiming that new evidence has come to light that “raises the question of whether a criminal offence has been committed”. 

In a letter to the Electoral Commission, Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake makes the devastating allegation that the “funds were used by Labour Together in a sustained political campaign to bring down Jeremy Corbyn and secure the election of Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party”. 

This is especially significant because official records show Starmer did not declare any support from the group in the official Commons register. 

Under the Commons code of conduct, MPs are required to declare support worth more than £1,500 designed to help their “candidacy at an election for parliamentary or non-parliamentary office”.

To put the charges made into plain English, the Tories are in effect accusing McSweeney of arranging a secret slush fund to launch Starmer into Downing Street.  

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Original article at https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/mcsweeney-did-in-shadows-haunt-starmer-labour

Continue ReadingPeter Oborne: What Morgan McSweeney did in the shadows is set to haunt Starmer’s Labour

Call for police probe into claim PM’s top aide Morgan McSweeney hid £700,000 of donations to boost Keir Starmer’s political career

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Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15118175/Call-police-probe-claim-PMs-aide-Morgan-McSweeney-hid-700-000-donations-boost-Keir-Starmers-political-career.html

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in a letter to the Electoral Commission, Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake said the party has new information to justify the commission ‘initiating a formal inquiry and then to refer the incident to the police’ relating to ‘the breach of political finance laws’.

Mr Hollinrake said advice from lawyer Gerald Shamash written in 2021, which appeared to have been ‘passed from within the Labour Party to outside sources’, revealed discussion about how to handle the Commission – and admitted it would not be easy to explain Labour Together’s position.

Mr Hollinrake said Mr McSweeney was advised that Labour Together should blame the non-reporting of donations on an administration error. 

But the Tory chairman believed the donations weren’t declared to protect the donors’ identities.

The row comes ahead of the publication next month of The Fraud, by journalist Paul Holden, which will include a detailed account of Mr McSweeney’s role in Labour Together.

The think-tank was a key plank of the drive by Mr McSweeney and his allies – including Lord Mandelson, who was sacked as US ambassador this month over links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – to topple Mr Corbyn from the party leadership. 

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15118175/Call-police-probe-claim-PMs-aide-Morgan-McSweeney-hid-700-000-donations-boost-Keir-Starmers-political-career.html

Continue ReadingCall for police probe into claim PM’s top aide Morgan McSweeney hid £700,000 of donations to boost Keir Starmer’s political career

Starmer stooges seek to block motions on Gaza Genocide at Labour conference

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Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA

https://labouroutlook.org/2025/09/20/starmer-stooges-seek-to-block-motions-on-gaza-genocide-at-labour-conference

From the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC)

Labour Party officials are attempting to stifle debate on Palestine at the party conference and prevent calls for the Government to take meaningful steps to end complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC) met yesterday and decided to rule out more than 30 motions submitted by constituency Labour Partys (CLPs) and affiliated organisations ahead of the party conference in Liverpool which begins on Sunday 28th September. Every motion on Palestine was ruled out of order by the CAC.

Contemporary motions at conference have to meet the criteria that the issue must not have been substantially addressed in the National Policy Framework (NPF) Annual Report 2025 which was published on 8th August. The overwhelming majority of Palestine motions were ruled out of order on the grounds that the motions do “not relate to a new issue not substantially covered in the NPF report”. This is despite the fact many focused on events that took place after the NPF Report was published. These include the announcement of the Israeli government’s plans to militarily occupy Gaza City on 8 August and the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza City on 10 August.

The motions also make demands on the Labour Party that are not included in the NPF Report, such as an end to all arms trade and military cooperation with Israel, comprehensive sanctions, and a ban on trade that aides or assists Israel’s violations of international law. 

The number of motions sent to conference demanding the party takes more action on Palestine has dramatically increased since last year, when just three motions were sent to conference. This ten-fold increase shows the growing level of anger at the grassroots at the leadership’s position. Recent polling has found that 72% of Labour’s 2024 voters want a full arms embargo on Israel.

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Article continues at https://labouroutlook.org/2025/09/20/starmer-stooges-seek-to-block-motions-on-gaza-genocide-at-labour-conference

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical magazine 'Private Eye'.
Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical magazine ‘Private Eye’.
Continue ReadingStarmer stooges seek to block motions on Gaza Genocide at Labour conference

Health unions jointly refuse to participate with ‘defunct’ NHS Pay Review Body

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/health-unions-jointly-refuse-participate-defunct-nhs-pay-review-body

‘Best way to deliver reform and a fair pay award is for government to negotiate directly with trade unions,’ RCN says

 an Accident and Emergency sign

FOURTEEN health unions today jointly announced they will not take part in the “failed” and “defunct” NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) process, demanding talks with ministers instead.

The independent advisory body has settled pay issues for the majority of the health service’s staff since 2007.

In a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, unions representing staff on “agenda for change” contracts called on the government to deliver on its promise of direct talks for next year’s pay instead.

Union frustrations over lengthy delays, below-inflation awards and suspected political interference come as questions linger over Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership ahead of the party’s conference starting next week.

GMB had been the last major health union to engage with the PRB last year, which makes annual pay recommendations for NHS staff excluding doctors, dentists and some senior managers.

Chairwoman of the NHS unions and Unison’s head of health Helga Pile said: “The government promised talks over a year ago and they still haven’t got round the table with unions with any proper plan to sort things out.

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Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/health-unions-jointly-refuse-participate-defunct-nhs-pay-review-body

Continue ReadingHealth unions jointly refuse to participate with ‘defunct’ NHS Pay Review Body

UK public has paid £200bn to shareholders of key industries since privatisation

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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/16/uk-public-paid-200bn-to-shareholders-of-key-industries-since-privatisation-study

Northern Rail passengers protest over poor service in Manchester in 2019 Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Analysis reveals ‘privatisation premium’ of £250 per household per year paid to owners of water, rail, bus, energy and mail services since 2010

The public has paid almost £200bn to the shareholders who own key British industries since they were privatised, research reveals.

The transfer of tens of billions of pounds to the owners of the privatised water, rail, bus, energy and mail services comes as families face soaring bills, polluted rivers and seas, and expensive and unreliable trains and buses.

As a result, citizens have been paying a “privatisation premium” of £250 per household per year since 2010 alone, the analysis found.

Recent focus has been on the privatised water industry, which has run up long-term debts of £73bn and paid out dividends of £88.4bn in the past 34 years at the same time as overseeing record sewage spills, according to the latest figures.

But for the first time the thinktank Common Wealth has drawn together the haemorrhaging of billions of pounds to shareholders across four key sectors, most of which were privatised from the 1980s and 1990s by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government – energy, transport, water and mail.

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Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/16/uk-public-paid-200bn-to-shareholders-of-key-industries-since-privatisation-study

Continue ReadingUK public has paid £200bn to shareholders of key industries since privatisation