Why did Starmer settle out of court Give a grovelling apology and pay out six figure sum?

What did those labour campaigns achieve grandad. On the last one they lost bloody Bolsover.

The entire Labour party general election campaigns of 2017 and 2019 were funded by the trade union movement with three million of which was donated solely by the Unite Union alone in the last campaign with similar being contributed in 2017.

A percentage of that money which came from the subscriptions paid by those often poorly paid union members was it is alleged, diverted away from the support for a leader elected by the entire Labour movement and into "low life schemes" that would work against that leader and the party winning those elections.

And then there are those that state that Len McCluskey should "clear off" out the party.

What a joke those that state such are.

Amazing that with all the obvious shenanagins that went on in LP central office some people continue to blame those on the left for disrupting the party. In the words of Ian Lavery "The Labour Party is a socialist Party," so those who think it is OK to mess about with policies which are watered down Toryism should get out and leave the party to establish real socialist policies. The LP did better in 2017 than any time since 1945 and that was with the right wing at headquarters working against them and the media attempting to destroy Corbyn.

Iam64

My experience as a LP supporter and campaigner for a good Labour MP is that after the relative success in the 2017 election, people began to see Corby for what is is. The didn't want him as PM. All this blaming the right wing media, people within the party etc etc just avoids facing the reality that so many of us faced and heard on the doorsteps as we tried and failed to get ur neighbours to vote for the LP under

I'm afraid that lemon and tidyskatemum are right - put very simply all this argy bargy between Labour supporters illustrates why we have the (awful) government we now have.

McLusky contributed to that mess, he should clear off.

So you support those that it is alleged carried out illegal activity in the Labour Party Central Office Iam64???????

If that is the general attitude within the right of the Parliamentary Labour Party then Len McCluskey is correct and the Unite funding along with all the trade unions that have financed the organisation for over one hundred years should be brought to an end.

There can be no future for a political party that holds such attitudes within its membership. The wider Labour Movement should pull the plug on this shambles of an organisation and start afresh political wing.

Totally disgusting.

My experience as a LP supporter and campaigner for a good Labour MP is that after the relative success in the 2017 election, people began to see Corby for what is is. The didn't want him as PM. All this blaming the right wing media, people within the party etc etc just avoids facing the reality that so many of us faced and heard on the doorsteps as we tried and failed to get ur neighbours to vote for the LP under

I'm afraid that lemon and tidyskatemum are right - put very simply all this argy bargy between Labour supporters illustrates why we have the (awful) government we now have.

McLusky contributed to that mess, he should clear off.

Well the situation is Starmer paid out evidence he didn't have to. Theres a question. Up to Labour leader to unite party.

And all this argy bargy between Labour supporters merely illustrates why bumbling Boris and his merry idiots got elected in the first place.

It’s not all about being a lawyer though, it’s about being a strong leader.Starmer has seen the damage that a weak and vacillating PLP leader has done and is trying to put things straight.
It seems to me that some LP supporters/members care more about form and being purist to the socialist agenda than actually getting a LP into power.It doesn’t mean abandoning principles it means treating ‘a running sore’ and showing the electorate that this leader means business.

But not more than the lawyers engaged by the party who specialise in this subject. It's a bit like asking your conveyancing solicitor to do your divorce, you'll get a divorce but if the other party has a good divorce solicitor you'll lose out.

Starmer knows far more on how the law and courts work than most in the LP I would argue.

Whitewavemark2 Starmer is an expert QC in the field of human rights and if I wanted a judgement on HR I would ask him, unfortunately he isn't an expert on all law (few barristers are) and therefore he should have considerd the opinions of the experts employed by the LP. They considered there was a good case. Otherwise they would have advised settlement and not wanted the matter to go to court.
lemon McCluskey has simply said he isn't willing to allow the leader of the LP to spend money as he wishes which seems just a statement. If people in the union don't like what he says they can speak out. Unfortunately the LP money has already gone, so no one can do anything.

lemongrove in regard to your post @13:47 today, Starmer many feel through his action in the out of court settlement with some staff at the Labour Party Central Office may well have greatly added to the financial insolvency problems the party is facing.

No point in being a political leader if that leader does not have a viable party to lead in approximately ten to twelve months time?

trisher

Where is the democracy in a leader paying out money without asking anyone else? As McCluskey said this could open the door to anyone with a grievance threatening to sue but agreeing to settle for cash, because the party will apparently pay out to keep things out of court, It is untenable and undemocratic. The leader of the party is not the party.

McCluskey clearly thinks that he is the leader though!
It’s all bluster.Keir Starmer will do well enough now that he has stamped his authority on the LP through showing he has understood and got to grips with the anti-semitism flourishing within the Party.
He is the kind of leader that will do well in the next GE, totally unlike the last incumbent!

The problem is that a line has not been drawn under the antisemitism allegations and also the claims and prosecutions that are forthcoming in regard to the leaked report, the breach of the Data Protection Act and the failure of Employers Duty of Care under legislation.

There is a very long way to go in the above saga with Starmer's out of court Settlement in the one stage many feel Labour could have won in the courts may have made other problems far worse.

Starmer has saved the LP untold hundreds of thousands of pounds.That is the reason it was settled out of court
I agree Whitewave, but although settling out of court ‘in full and final settlement’ draws a line under matters financially, it doesn’t necessarily draw a line under the grievance itself, especially for defending side who may well feel that had the matter been aired in open court, they might have won & been vindicated.
The deep divisions in the Labour Party have been exposed again and the danger is that those who breathed a sigh of relief when Keir Starmer was elected, and who felt that voting Labour was once again a possibility, may now feel that nothing has changed, and take their allegiance elsewhere.

trisher

Where is the democracy in a leader paying out money without asking anyone else? As McCluskey said this could open the door to anyone with a grievance threatening to sue but agreeing to settle for cash, because the party will apparently pay out to keep things out of court, It is untenable and undemocratic. The leader of the party is not the party.

Ask yourself, “what was the alternative”

To take the matter to court and be saddled for vast expense of costs plus settlement.

Starmer has saved the LP untold hundreds of thousands of pounds.

That is the reason it was settled out of court. Starmer used his judgement as a top QC. I am prepared to assume he knew what he was doing given his knowledge and experience.

I need to lie down I think I have just posted in defence of grandad

janthegran
partisan and ill informed political opinions
That's your opinion as are the opinions posted on here.
We are a free country and therefore free to express our opinions.

People do know that GN is social media dont they

trisher

Where is the democracy in a leader paying out money without asking anyone else? As McCluskey said this could open the door to anyone with a grievance threatening to sue but agreeing to settle for cash, because the party will apparently pay out to keep things out of court, It is untenable and undemocratic. The leader of the party is not the party.

trisher, very well stated. ???

That's the second time this morning you've told people that it's a waste of time posting on social media Grandad. Don't you believe in free speech?

janthegranx6

I am sorry to see this forum being used for partisan and ill informed political opinions and fundraising attempts, there are many other more appropriate outlets for your vitriol and your money. The world is facing one of the worst crisis ever, lets get our priorities right here at least.

janthegranx6, this section of the forum is for political discussion after it's name. However, if you feel that any post is ill informed or partisan please feel free to post your own opinions on why you feel those posts are wrong.

Debate is all in this section of GN.

Should you be a new member janthegranx6 then a very warm welcome to the forum, and I hope we see much of you on here. ?

If you dont want to see political opinions you are probably on the wrong section of the forum

Where is the democracy in a leader paying out money without asking anyone else? As McCluskey said this could open the door to anyone with a grievance threatening to sue but agreeing to settle for cash, because the party will apparently pay out to keep things out of court, It is untenable and undemocratic. The leader of the party is not the party.

janthegranx6

I am sorry to see this forum being used for partisan and ill informed political opinions and fundraising attempts, there are many other more appropriate outlets for your vitriol and your money. The world is facing one of the worst crisis ever, lets get our priorities right here at least.

????are you new janthegran? If so welcome. Perhaps if you ignore the political threads you might find it more comfortable.