The SKWAWKBOX has run a series of articles on the limited company Labour Future (LF). Those articles addressed the company’s communications, which some have taken to be from the Labour Party even though LF is not affiliated to the party. They have also addressed LF’s fundraising, data-gathering, use of other organisations’ logos and its claimed support for the party.
One question remained to be addressed. LF told the SKWAWKBOX that the only Labour-related financial donation the company had made was £500 to the Stand up for Labour comedy campaign. But it’s a reasonably safe bet that LF has raised a lot more than £500 – and the company claims to have run a number of digital campaigns.
LF’s Director of Digital had ended his last email with, “Please do let me know if I can help with anything else at all.” So we asked them:
Could you advise the amounts spent on each of the campaign items listed in the second paragraph of your response?
LF responded – but not with the information requested:
We are a small team and simply do not have the resources to provide you with itemised spending returns, nor are we under any obligation to do so. Labour Future is an independent, not-for-profit campaigning body with the same legal standing as Momentum.
Given our positive contribution to Labour’s recent general election campaign, our innovation in campaigning techniques and our close ties to the party, we look forward to continuing this work.
LF has been reasonably forthcoming so far – but it seems that this was a question too far for the organisation, which has strong links to the ‘Leave’ campaign and also connections to organisations such as the Taxpayers’ Alliance.
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Reminds me of the DUP’s inability to say where ITS money comes from — hey, maybe LF is one of the DUP’s donors?
I see that the General Secretary of the Labour Party, Iain McNicol, is still failing to do the job he is paid to do. By not acting to protect the Labour Party’s logos and reputation against companies which are illegally passing themselves off as Labour Party organisations, he is in clear dereliction of his duties.
This is yet another example of Mr McNicol’s incapability to perform even the most basic of administrative tasks.
As this is the case, it falls upon the NEC to carry out its duty to the party by replacing him with somebody who is competent and able.
LF’s “positive contribution to Labour’s election campaign” equates to Donald Trump’s positive contribution to tackling climate change.
How does Mr McNicol keep his job? Isn’t he supposed to tackle usurpers? Or is it that he supports this group. Time for this man to be sent packing.
Do we know which social media campaigns it is supposed to have run?
Can’t provide a breakdown of expenditure , or simply won’t —- WHY !
This means LF are not in control of their outgoings and calls into question the believability of anything further they have to say around campaigns digital or otherwise that they SAY they have supported . If you can’t or won’t provide the proof then I and many others are under NO OBLIGATION EITHER to believe a word your organisation LF subsequently says .
“We are a small team and simply do not have the resources to provide you with itemised spending returns” – GARBAGE!
I run my own small business and can tell you where every penny goes, in fact I have to for tax purposes.
“Please send me lots of money. Of course I won’t be able to tell anyone what I actually do with it.” ….. Yeah – right.
Googled Labour Leave Ltd at the same address and having the same 2 directors. Haven’t delved but first results suggest substantial Tory donations – if anyone has the time or inclination to go deeper.
Now, now. Let’s not have any conspiracy theories!
I see that Labour Future Limited registered with the Electoral Commission as a “Non-party campaigner (Third party)” on 30/05/2017 (reg. num. TP6519). To bother to register they must have anticipated they may well “spend over the threshold of £20,000 in England or £10,000 in any of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on regulated campaign activity during a regulated period”.
They haven’t registered any spending, loans or donations yet, but the rules for what needs to be registered by Non-party campaigners seem complicated so this might not mean much. There are separate rules for spending in Scotland, Wales and NI, and for England apparently this year: “The general campaign rules on non-party campaigning do not apply to the elections taking place in England and non-party campaigners do not need to register with us if they are spending money on general campaigning in England only.”
Someone more expert than I would have to study this registration to see if it could lead to any conclusions about Labour Future’s spending, or lack thereof.