Labour of Love Profile picture
Jan 5, 2020 18 tweets 6 min read Read on X
Thread

1./

In 2018, some on the right disgracefully tried to smear Keir Starmer, then Shadow Brexit Secretary, using the Warboys case. They were wrong and had to retract.

Sadly, some on the left are now repeating those old smears to try to score points today.

Please read & RT
2./

It’s a distressing, emotive case:

An overview:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Worb…

The police were found guilty of bungling the initial investigation, refusing to believe those reporting assault. The police appealed, unsuccessfully, supported by then Home Secretaries May and Rudd: Image
3./
Warboys was finally arrested & in April 2008 was charged with 23 offences. He was convicted of 19 the following March.

Starmer only became DPP in Nov 2008.

Here, the CPS explains the prosecuting decisions & makes clear he had no involvement in them:

cps.gov.uk/cps/news/cps-s…
4./

Of 83 initial complainants, only 14 saw their cases brought to trial.

Why?

If the evidence isn’t quite there to be sure of winning, and it’ll make no difference to the final verdict, it’s *right* to spare people the trauma of going to court, and of potentially losing.
5./

When people fake complain about all the cases that through lack of evidence weren’t charged, remember they could still be brought NOW.

Would it be right today to make these survivors undergo the trauma of court, risking losing, with no difference to Warboys staying in jail?
6./

Warboys received an ‘indeterminate’ sentence - there was no fixed end-date to it.

Potentially, he would *never* be released, unless it could be *proved* he was no longer a danger.

BUT, in 2012, the Tory government changed the rules, as too harsh:

mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…
7./

Parole was suggested in Jan 2018, to a huge outcry. Two of the survivors went to court, and, in March, the decision was quashed, and the parole board chief apologised and resigned.

Warboys was never released and remains in jail.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-435685…
8./

BUT - back in Jan, as soon as that initial parole decision to release was announced, the Tory smear machine got to work.

Because Keir Starmer, who had quit his job to become an MP in 2015 to fight austerity, was now shadow Brexit secretary...

Jan 4
order-order.com/2018/01/04/sta…
9./

Jan 5th
Guido even tries to make Starmer and Warboys look alike, while throwing everything he can at him:

order-order.com/2018/01/05/sta…
10./

The same day, Jan 5th, the CPS steps in, issuing its statement making it crystal clear that Starmer had not been involved:

m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/sir-ke…
11./

Those accusing Starmer of responsibility were forced to accept that he had no involvement and retract, if not apologise.

By the next day, Jan 6th, Tim Fenton can write this:

zelo-street.blogspot.com/2018/01/starme…
12./

So if you wonder why some on the left are now tweeting the likes of the Spectator, or using Guido Fawkes as a template to attack to Starmer, this is why.

They aren’t interested in the truth, or, in fact, the survivors - who, remember, ALL deserve their privacy respected.
13./

It’s especially unfair, since his record as DPP, in changing the culture around prosecution of sexual assault cases, was good - introducing a presumption of belief in victims, mandatory reporting of CA, transparency about prosecuting decisions, etc

civilserviceworld.com/interview-keir…
14./

He acknowledged and apologised to survivors for the mistakes and trauma caused in cases like Rochdale, Savile, and Warboys.

theguardian.com/uk/2013/jan/11…

A fall in reports of cases of sexual and domestic assault didn’t mean sitting back but doing more:

theguardian.com/society/2013/j…
15./

He quit as DPP to fight austerity as an MP.

This was the reaction from those who knew the truth about his record:

“He commands great respect from any charity even fleetingly involved in violence against women.”

theguardian.com/theguardian/20…
16./

No-one is perfect, and he had a tough job dealing with the most difficult cases, but I think he’s one of the good guys.

But if you think he’s the one to lead Labour in future or not, let’s have that debate without trying to destroy each other, or by spreading Tory lies.
17./

Finally, after the botched parole, more charges were brought against Warboys last year. He confessed to further crimes *while he was in jail*. Last December he was convicted of offences against four more women & given two more life sentences.

theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/d…

END/
Just to be clear:

The offences Warboys was convicted of last December were not any of the old ones, but NEW ones from NEW victims who came forward AFTER the publicity of the botched parole, with NEW evidence - not least the fact that Warboys confessed AFTER he had been jailed.

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More from @politicworm

Oct 4, 2020
My 3rd thread on who else might be involved with the Laurence Fox Party.

Some clues are in the first follows of its new Twitter feed.

My guess is Reclaim will have its first Parliamentarian as soon as the party officially launches in November:

Lady Claire Regina Fox

(thread) Image
First, the first 14 follows:

Looza
Darren Grimes
Peter Whittle
Titania McGrath
Claire Fox
Calvin Robinson

Journals/ists:
Spiked
The Critic
The Epoch Times
Christopher Hope (Telegraph)
Tim Shipman (Sunday Times)
Harry Cole (Sun)
Tim Montgomery
Julia Hartley-Brewer (talkRADIO)
This thread is going to concentrate on these particular first follows: ImageImageImage
Read 22 tweets
Oct 1, 2020
I’ve been looking at some of the people behind Lozza ‘Loser’ Fox & his new party.

The 1st thread looked at his PR company of mostly ex-Telegraph staffers, to show that they - not he - should be taken seriously

But this 2nd one is a comic tale

A rom-com even

Read on:

(thread)
After all, throw a party for a clown, expect a circus.

Or in this case, Darren Selkus.

Former soldier, businessman, & failed Brexit Party candidate.

A man it’s hard to take seriously. Image
He blew his cover when he posted the privacy policy on the new Looza Party website, (hat-tip to Guido).

So, we *know* Darren helped build the site.

But if the first thread was about serious professionals, Dazza is very much the comic amateur... Image
Read 29 tweets
Sep 29, 2020
We laugh at Lozza ‘Loser’ Fox but we’ll have to take this seriously, I’m afraid.

Not him. Those behind him.

He’s just a figurehead.

They have the cash - £5 million up front - and a plan.

The expertise, experience & contacts too.

But who are they?

Read on & pls RT

[thread]
This is Culture War Commander Fox’s temporary and modestly named website for the new party - as he waits for the Electoral Commission to agree to the party name ‘Reclaim’

laurencefoxparty.nationbuilder.com
The contact address is the PR company looking after this operation, Reputation Management.

“Providing senior, trusted and effective crisis communications and public relations”

reputationcommunications.com
Read 27 tweets
Jan 7, 2020
THREAD
1 of 10/

Some are trying to use sex assault victims to criticise Keir Starmer.

In fact he’s been their champion.

2012

After 1st convictions in the Rochdale scandal as DPP he orders:

“Radical changes to the way sex abuse victims are dealt with”

telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/la…
2/

March 2013

Learning from the failings of Rochdale, Savile & Warboys, he changes CPS rules.

Issuing “guidelines making clear that we had to abandon the notion of the “model” victim and do justice for real victims”

news.sky.com/story/savile-n…
3/

He keeps going.

July 2013

Polly Neate, Women’s Aid:
He’s been a "powerful force for change over the past five years"

Liz Kelly, co-chair, End Violence against Women coalition:
"I hugely appreciate what has been done at the CPS under his watch.”

theguardian.com/society/2013/j…
Read 9 tweets
Jan 3, 2020
@upickahandle And more defensive ammunition:
mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…
@upickahandle How the sick smear got started:

zelo-street.blogspot.com/2018/01/starme…
Read 4 tweets

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