In 2015, Tom Watson contested – and won – Labour’s deputy leadership election. He enjoyed widespread support from a membership inspired by his promise to give his full support to whichever candidate won the leadership election.
It was a promise he failed to fulfil, giving his support instead to the infamous ‘chicken coup’ less than a year after the election and attempting to persuade unions to withdraw their backing from the runaway winner of the leadership contest, Jeremy Corbyn.
In the course of his campaign, Watson received substantial funds from a number of donors – cash sums of up to £25,000 and one donation in kind valued at £70,000.
According to parliamentary rules, Watson had to declare all such donations in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
According to a West Midlands whistleblower, he did not.
The whistleblower’s allegations refer to the annual report of the treasurer of the Labour group in the West Midlands borough of Sandwell for the year running from May 2015 to May 2016, of which he has provided the SKWAWKBOX with a copy.
Among various expenses the treasurer reports is a donation of £5,000 to Tom Watson’s campaign:
The detailed breakdown of Sandwell’s outgoings shows that the date of the donation was 11 June 2015:
But while Watson’s register (downloadable in Word format here: Tom Watson Deputy Leader Campaign donations) for that period includes a number of £5,000 donations, they are all from individuals and companies – there appears to be no entry for Sandwell.
The SKWAWKBOX is investigating allegations that a number of other donations were not declared.
We sent Tom Watson an urgent press enquiry about the allegation regarding the Sandwell donation. He did not respond by the time of publication.
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The last thing the Labour Party needs, especially as the party is now largely funded by small donations from members, is the suspicion that the party’s deputy leader is involved in murky payments from rich donors. Corruption by rich donors is something we expect from the Tories, it will not be tolerated in the Labour Party.
If these allegations prove to be true then Mr Watson will have to stand down, for the good of the party.
^^ I agree, but can’t help thinking that nothing will be done about it.
It appears that if you’re a right-leaning Labour figure, you can pretty much get away with anything. However if you’re ‘left’-leaning, you’ll be witch-hunted, suspended, vilified and ostracised.
I mean, just look at McNicol. I’m led to believe that there are STILL Corbyn supporting Labour members suspended from the “chicken coup”. He should have been down the road long ago, but remains.
‘Front-stabbing’ Jess Phillips MP, misses meetings, parties with tory chums at tory-supporting Billionaire media tycoon’s house, seems to be the go-to commentator for the media now.
Mandelson, doing “something every day”, Labour donor ‘nazi stormtroopers’, Dugdale ‘vote tory’. The list is never-ending, and they’really all Teflon.
Labour has been infested by right wing tory lite-ers. It’s a thoroughly obscene situation.
Well, here’s the tip of the Tory Lite, Blairite iceberg! They sit waiting, clinging onto position in the hope they’re not found out and they display the same arrogance towards us as that displayed by the worst of the Tories, and there’s a lot of ’em! If the electorate and Left Labour Party members want to avoid Labours betrayals of their Socialist principles, as has consistently happened in the past, these bastards need to be got rid of soonest
For two years we have witnessed an unparalleled attack on the Labour Party Leadership and members from within the Party.
Financially and Constitutionally we have called for an independent enquiry into the actions of Watson and Macnicol. …to NO AVAIL.
While we have a common objective to free our country from the horrors of Toryism we cannot forgive or forget
Trust, like Respect is not given automatically. ..it must be earned.
Any breach , or betrayal must be investigated. .this is not an option buto a duty.
We on the left will not stand any longer for those on the right taking the piss out of OUR SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY!
For to long now the Tory light in our party have had it their way, lost us 3 G E on the trot!
No on-else can be blamed for this but those on the right!
Whatever the outcome over McNicol, Watson, Philips and those who side with them, will be done, “justly”!
Unlike, they have done to us, the “VOTING LABOUR LEFT MAJORITY”!
No longer can they be trusted with our “SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY”!
Let them cry “foul” when they get voted out of office for their wrong doings!
I for one, am in no doubt, that they will get their comeuppance, sooner rather than later!