Earlier today, the SKWAWKBOX published confirmation from three of four organisations, whose logos were used on the website of private limited company Labour Future (LF), that those logos had been used without their permission. We sent LF the following questions:
Your volunteer registration page contained until recently the logos of the Labour Party, Momentum, Keep our NHS Public and Progress. Three of these organisations have denied any connection with Labour Future and say they did not give permission for you to imply otherwise or use their logos. The fourth has not yet responded.
You have now removed KoNP’s, but still have the other three on the page in your ‘Coalitions’ graphic. Please advise the following by return:
- why did LF use these logos without permission and in what way are you claiming to be in ‘coalition’ with the other organisations?
- why has only the KoNP logo been removed?
- your volunteer registration is apparently powered by NationBuilder. To what use will LF use this data and are you using NationBuilder’s ‘data-scraping’ capabilities in any way?
In addition, SKWAWKBOX readers have complained that your fundraising emails are misleading and that they have donated believing they were giving to the Labour Party itself. Please advise the following by return:
- you recently sent a fundraising email which included the words (our emphases added in red) “The fighting spirit within the Labour Party, fully focused on getting Jeremy into Downing Street is why we can proudly state that we are truly on the brink of government“. This phrasing – and others that SKWAWKBOX readers have flagged – clearly seems to equate Labour Future with the Labour Party. Labour Future, for example, cannot be ‘on the brink of government’.
The Labour Party has confirmed that Labour Future is in no way affiliated with the party. Why are you using such phrases and what do you say to the accusations of some readers that they amount to ‘passing off‘ ?- Will Labour Future desist in sending emails that imply a link with the Labour Party that does not exist?
- Will Labour Future refund any donations if donors feel they have been misled into thinking they were donating to the Labour Party?
This evening, LF’s ‘Director of Digital’, Michael O’Sullivan, sent the following response:
Labour Future is an independent campaigning organisation, fighting alongside allies across the Labour movement for the next Labour government. We want to work with all groups working towards the same goal; we linked to those organisations on our website as we were keen to promote the important role each has to play in delivering Jeremy Corbyn to Downing Street.
We removed the Keep Our NHS Public logo from our website yesterday (Sunday), at the request of the organisation.
We only ever use our data to contact individuals about our fundraising and campaigning efforts. We would never share our data with any third party.
We do not believe that our fundraising emails are misleading. We are fighting tooth and nail for a Labour government, and use the term “we” with reference to the wider Labour movement. Although there is no formal relationship between Labour Future and the Labour Party, we have strong links throughout the organisation. We do not believe any donors have been misled to this end.
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Surely this is a police matter?
Exactly what I thought . . .
Where does LP’s ‘our data’ they say they don’t share with anyone else, but obviously do use to contact and try to fool
@UKLabour members come from if not from @UKLabour records that members dont expect to be shared with private companies
Bullshit reply s from bullshit organisation. Helping to deliver JC to govt my ARSE . If they had chance they’d deliver him to the bin along with all of us left wingers.
Very concerned re them using Nation Builder , don’t believe for a second their response re non share or use. They ref to “our data ” where have they got this from ? NB perhaps ??
What EXACTLY have LF been using these funds for , lets have some details from them ehh ?
Well done Skwawkbox keep em under the spot light
sounds like taking money under false pretences to me
Obtaining a money by deception and misrepresentation, surely not.
There should be a law against it!
‘Fraud by false representation’ was exactly my first thought when Skwawkbox first highlighted the issue a few weeks back.
LF say: “Although there is no formal relationship between Labour Future and the Labour Party, we have strong links throughout the organisation. We do not believe any donors have been misled to this end.”
Although there have been messages to the contrary on this blog.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/35/section/2
(4)A representation may be express or implied.
(5)For the purposes of this section a representation may be regarded as made if it (or anything implying it) is submitted in any form to any system or device designed to receive, convey or respond to communications (with or without human intervention).
Seems pretty clear cut, to me.
I hadn’t known that John Mills & Brendan Chilton were behind both Labour Future Ltd and Labour Leave Ltd.
Would they be so devious as to claim that unwitting donations to Labour Future constitute support for their Leave campaign? I hope not.
Curious about distribution of donations though.
‘Exclusionary detailing’ Only works if the omission goes undetected .Ops
The used my real name in an email. I do not use it I am known as my middle name for over 20 years .I only use my real name for official documents and membership of the labour party. I surmise they have access to labour members details.
Perhaps we should be asking who did not receive an email?
Surely this is fraud? Who are these people anyway? Absolutely appalling. Time to call in police.