Leicester East

[Deleted]

Compared to Neil Parish’s ‘mistakes’ this looks positively monstrous.

[Sibboleth]

The details of the judgment will presumably appear online soon enough.

[gwynthegriff]

May 26, 2022 15:15:12 GMT Merseymike said:

May 26, 2022 15:07:33 GMT agbutler said:

Or not:

This is because there was considerable mitigation which was not presented to the original trial.
Here is a pro-Webbe source which explains - skwawkbox.org/2022/05/26/breaking-appeal-judge-reduces-webbe-sentence-because-of-accusers-lies-and-withheld-evidence/

£50 compensation suggests that the accuser was regarded as rather less than reliable, although Webbe's actions were not acceptable.

I would imagine she will see out the remainder of the parliament. Vaz will no doubt stitch up the Labour selection for one of his cronies.

This does seem to have been a mishandled case in a number of ways.

Made worse by the public profile of Webbe and the somewhat selective reporting in the media.

[Chris from Brum]

So, will she have the Labour whip restored in due course?

[timmullen1]

May 26, 2022 20:21:13 GMT Chris from Brum said:

So, will she have the Labour whip restored in due course?

She would have to apply for readmittance to the Party first as she was expelled not just from the PLP but the Party as a whole.

[LDCaerdydd]

And she’s still been found guilty of harassment.

[matureleft]

May 27, 2022 0:43:19 GMT LDCaerdydd said:

And she’s still been found guilty of harassment.

Correct. 

The case sounds rather sad with her argument that the complainant had sought maliciously to bring her down looking plausible. But of course her foolish and wrong behaviour allowed that to happen. She should resign but presumably won’t. 

[maxque]

May 27, 2022 3:52:21 GMT matureleft said:

May 27, 2022 0:43:19 GMT LDCaerdydd said:

And she’s still been found guilty of harassment.

Correct. 

The case sounds rather sad with her argument that the complainant had sought maliciously to bring her down looking plausible. But of course her foolish and wrong behaviour allowed that to happen. She should resign but presumably won’t. 

And she shouldn't, as she is still less morally reprehensible than the washing machine man. If she resigns, he may try to come back.

[aargauer]

May 27, 2022 5:10:40 GMT maxque said:

May 27, 2022 3:52:21 GMT matureleft said:

Correct. 

The case sounds rather sad with her argument that the complainant had sought maliciously to bring her down looking plausible. But of course her foolish and wrong behaviour allowed that to happen. She should resign but presumably won’t. 

And she shouldn't, as she is still less morally reprehensible than the washing machine man. If she resigns, he may try to come back.

There is no way Starmer is going to allow Keith Vaz back! If the tories weren't so high on scandal at the minute we could have a decent crack at this seat with an Indian candidate and some "community politics" at a by election.

[YL]

May 26, 2022 20:22:49 GMT timmullen1 said:

May 26, 2022 20:21:13 GMT Chris from Brum said:

So, will she have the Labour whip restored in due course?

She would have to apply for readmittance to the Party first as she was expelled not just from the PLP but the Party as a whole.

I doubt Labour will let her back in, and suspect the most likely scenario now is that she sees out her term as an Independent.

[mattbewilson]

May 27, 2022 6:37:33 GMT aargauer said:

May 27, 2022 5:10:40 GMT maxque said:

And she shouldn't, as she is still less morally reprehensible than the washing machine man. If she resigns, he may try to come back.

There is no way Starmer is going to allow Keith Vaz back! If the tories weren't so high on scandal at the minute we could have a decent crack at this seat with an Indian candidate and some "community politics" at a by election.

hope not but I understand he's on the move and I suspect the CLP aren't unsympathetic. I think it's going to be a tough battle. Every council by election has had a large swing to the Tories and I can see maybe half a dozen Tories elected here next May. I think Labour HQ will be breathing a sigh of relief

[The Bishop]

May 26, 2022 15:57:21 GMT @johnyorks said:

Compared to Neil Parish’s ‘mistakes’ this looks positively monstrous.

Well you could compare Webbe to him, or alternatively to (has everybody forgotten already) Rob Roberts. Whose behaviour had no mitigation AFAICS.

When is he going to resign?

(to be clear, I don't like her and don't think she should ever have been an MP - certainly not parachuted into this seat - but still)

[Chris from Brum]

May 27, 2022 9:32:53 GMT The Bishop said:

(to be clear, I don't like her and don't think she should ever have been an MP - certainly not parachuted into this seat - but still)

A reminder here that she's a native of Leicester.  Her previous base of political operations may have been London but it can't be claimed that she had no previous connection with the city, so the term "parachuted" is a bit of a stretch here, I think.

[batman]

May 27, 2022 10:16:13 GMT Chris from Brum said:

May 27, 2022 9:32:53 GMT The Bishop said:

(to be clear, I don't like her and don't think she should ever have been an MP - certainly not parachuted into this seat - but still)

A reminder here that she's a native of Leicester.  Her previous base of political operations may have been London but it can't be claimed that she had no previous connection with the city, so the term "parachuted" is a bit of a stretch here, I think.

bit like Joan Walley in 1987. People at first described her as a Lambeth "loony left" councillor being parachuted in to Stoke, but in fact she does come from that city.

[timmullen1]

May 27, 2022 11:21:31 GMT batman said:

May 27, 2022 10:16:13 GMT Chris from Brum said:

A reminder here that she's a native of Leicester.  Her previous base of political operations may have been London but it can't be claimed that she had no previous connection with the city, so the term "parachuted" is a bit of a stretch here, I think.

bit like Joan Walley in 1987. People at first described her as a Lambeth "loony left" councillor being parachuted in to Stoke, but in fact she does come from that city.

And had remained a season ticket holder at Port Vale, and regular matchgoer, throughout her time in London.

[Merseymike]

May 27, 2022 12:22:55 GMT timmullen1 said:

May 27, 2022 11:21:31 GMT batman said:

bit like Joan Walley in 1987. People at first described her as a Lambeth "loony left" councillor being parachuted in to Stoke, but in fact she does come from that city.

And had remained a season ticket holder at Port Vale, and regular matchgoer, throughout her time in London.

Yes. To my knowledge there was no external influence in her selection, either, although clearly that wasn't the case for Webbe.

I always find the issue of 'parachuting' of interest. There have always been constituency parties in traditionally Labour seats who decide, often after a long period of local backbench representation, that they deserve a bit of glamour and will opt for a London lawyer or similar likely to make the Cabinet. I think Twigg, the two Milibands, and certainly Blair come into that category - not sure whether Tristram Hunt was in a similar position. These are often presented as parachutes, but they weren't. Ed Miliband actually defeated Michael Dugher in Doncaster, though it was Dugher's place of birth and upbringing.

[timmullen1]

May 27, 2022 12:37:47 GMT Merseymike said:

May 27, 2022 12:22:55 GMT timmullen1 said:

And had remained a season ticket holder at Port Vale, and regular matchgoer, throughout her time in London.

Yes. To my knowledge there was no external influence in her selection, either, although clearly that wasn't the case for Webbe.

I always find the issue of 'parachuting' of interest. There have always been constituency parties in traditionally Labour seats who decide, often after a long period of local backbench representation, that they deserve a bit of glamour and will opt for a London lawyer or similar likely to make the Cabinet. I think Twigg, the two Milibands, and certainly Blair come into that category - not sure whether Tristram Hunt was in a similar position. These are often presented as parachutes, but they weren't. Ed Miliband actually defeated Michael Dugher in Doncaster, though it was Dugher's place of birth and upbringing.

Tristram definitely was: there was a shortlist of three, an Asian PR advisor from London (honestly can’t remember where specifically) whose English was apparently so bad that the Asian members of Central wrote to the General Secretary complaining at the poor impression it gave of their community, and a guy who worked for the UN in New York, admitted he’d never visited Stoke in his life, and hadn’t lived in the UK for 15 years. A number of members, including the CLP Chair (and former Council Leader), Secretary and a Branch Secretary resigned in protest (technically the Chair was expelled for supporting the ex-BLP Secretary’s Green candidature in the by-election, but it’s accepted locally he’d already resigned); the former returned during the Corbyn leadership, but I’ve no idea if he remains a member, the ex-Secretary continues to stand as an Independent, but stood in a Moorlands Division for last year’s County election so may have relocated, and the former BLP Secretary has become our second regular Green candidate, recording his best figures of 2.9% in 2019.

[mattbewilson]

Eddie Izzard fancies being the next MP for Sheffield Central. Spent the last three months campaigning in Sheffield for the local elections. I do actually think Central is the kind of place Eddie was would suit

[carlton43]

May 27, 2022 13:47:47 GMT mattbewilson said:

Eddie Izzard fancies being the next MP for Sheffield Central. Spent the last three months campaigning in Sheffield for the local elections. I do actually think Central is the kind of place Eddie was would suit

I lived in that constituency for a full year and can confirm that those constituents from the Dog and Partridge, The Red Deer and the two Whetherspoons are just gagging for a fat aging Metropolitan luvvie bloke, in heavy makeup, a dyed perm, and a shocking pink outfit!  He is their heart's desire and just what they have always wanted to represent who they are.  He is their dream of a ticket.  He is so 'them'!  Especially the Asians.

[batman]

May 27, 2022 12:37:47 GMT Merseymike said:

May 27, 2022 12:22:55 GMT timmullen1 said:

And had remained a season ticket holder at Port Vale, and regular matchgoer, throughout her time in London.

Yes. To my knowledge there was no external influence in her selection, either, although clearly that wasn't the case for Webbe.

I always find the issue of 'parachuting' of interest. There have always been constituency parties in traditionally Labour seats who decide, often after a long period of local backbench representation, that they deserve a bit of glamour and will opt for a London lawyer or similar likely to make the Cabinet. I think Twigg, the two Milibands, and certainly Blair come into that category - not sure whether Tristram Hunt was in a similar position. These are often presented as parachutes, but they weren't. Ed Miliband actually defeated Michael Dugher in Doncaster, though it was Dugher's place of birth and upbringing.

having heard him sing Hey Jude, I'd say that Dugher is a much better singer than he was a politician