Police probe three Labour MPs for expenses fraud after it’s claimed they failed to declare thousands of pounds spent on staff to get them re-elected
- South Yorkshire Police to investigate three MPs for electoral fraud
- Sir Kevin Barron, John Healey and Sarah Champion all under spotlight
- Miss Champion accused of using parliamentary assistant to campaign
- Alleged Sir Barron did not declare £21,000 spent on staff for 2015 vote
- Mr Healey probed about £30,000 expenditure not properly declared
Police have announced that they are investigating three Labour MPs for electoral expenses fraud after they allegedly failed to declare tens of thousands of pounds spent on recruiting staff to get them re-elected.
South Yorkshire Police are investigating Sir Kevin Barron, John Healey and Sarah Champion over financial declarations made to the Electoral Commission in the run-up to the General Election last year.
Isn’t this the QC representing these MPs in the defamation cases?
Is this why they employed an electoral law specialist?
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Click to access barron-v-vines-2016-ewhc-1226.pdf
It looks as though this police investigation is a result of the Caven Vines case.
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Oh dear Sarah Alice
If so, I take it the offences are within the one year time frame?
Looks like Police ‘Investigation’ is the key word.
No doubt Healey will be having knots in his tummy, Champion will be reweeting her piece of swiss roll and Barron declaring he ‘knew nowt’.
Bet there’s more to come……….
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Trouble is police and our local MPs have shown for years how they flip sides of the same 9 bob coin.
Covering each others arses
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Save for the fact Sarah Champion didn’t take action against Caven Vines.
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Just a small point, this will involve their Agents as well. Alan Goy, Reg Littleboy and Jane Hamilton should start worrying too.
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By definition, any investigation would ‘involve their Agents as well’.
However, you have gone to state that they ‘should start worrying too’.
Of course, they would only need to start to worry if they have done something unlawful. So, we have to assume that you have or are aware of evidence that they have done something unlawful……..otherwise, of course, your statement is probably defamatory of the three named individuals.
I presume you will want to clarify this very quickly.
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Guilty or innocent it is only natural to worry, unless you can fix things of course!
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Good old Janet Green we can always rely on you to stand solid like a stone bridge in defence of Labour.
Dave Smith
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Is Jacquie her twin?
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It’s difficult to believe that someone can so misread the facts and the context but, Mr Smith, you are clearly an expert. It explains your electoral success.
My position is really very simple.
I think debate – based on facts, evidence and analysis – is an important part of democracy.
By contrast, I think that democracy is ill served and undermined by un-evidenced assertions and smears and lies. I also have a particular concern when that activity goes so far that it is defamatory.
I think you will find that, if you go back a considerable time on this site, I warned one Caven Vines about precisely the same concern for similar reasons. However, he chose to ignore my alert (and apparently similar advice from his lawyers) and……look where he is today!
I was simply alerting Rothpol to the dangerous waters he seems to be entering.
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The agent shares responsibility for the accuracy of the invoices and returns submitted. Both the agent and the candidate sign statutory declarations that the returns and invoices are true, accurate and comply with the appropriate legislation. Therefore any agent knowing that their candidate is the subject of a criminal investigation would obviously have cause to worry; one would expect them to be involved at some stage in the criminal investigation. A layman may assume that an illegal practice would be the responsibility of the candidate or their agent. It would seem only natural for anybody who might become involved in an election expenses investigation to be worried.
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To Rothpol
I am very impressed with the detail that you have given Rothpol in relation to the legal context. It looks like it could have been prepared by a lawyer?
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That might be, because it was on this occasion and I am most grateful to them for it too, Rik.
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No one would disagree with your statement, “I think debate – based on facts, evidence and analysis – is an important part of democracy.”
Where I differ with you is when this statement goes on to make an implied threat, it tends to stifle free and open debate, but perhaps that was your intention?
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Maybe they will now face a coup themselves by the members and get de selected?
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‘get de selected?’
You’ve got more chance to learn the Lithuanian National Anthem than see these three deselected.
Go back a mere 2/3 years and try to understand why they were re-elected in 2015.
Rosette. Red. Donkey. Labour.
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Watermelon
Is there more to come? How do you know? Are you working with somebody who knows?
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Reblogged this on Rotherham Politics and commented:
Still unfinished business from 2015
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