Former NEC member and current NEC candidate on the right-wing Labour First/Progress slate Jasmin Beckett appeared on Sky News on Sunday morning with a colleague and claimed they had been ‘turfed out’ of Saturday’s Labour Live.
There appear to be serious question marks over this claim.
A barrister who witnessed them leaving refuted the allegation unequivocally:
Another participant in the debate provided video footage:
The video footage appears at odds with their interview on Sky:
The orderly, apparently unaccompanied exit does not appear to support the idea of any kind of involuntary exit – and the image of them standing with banner unfurled is similarly unhelpful to the claim:
Brooks told Sky News that the protesters had:
unfurled it as Jeremy started speaking and then started chanting stop backing Brexit, at which point some of the people in the crowd were not too happy with us, some were very supportive and we were ushered out of the venue.
In the video shown by Sky, the banner is unfurled right among the crowd – yet the image published by the protesters is on a clear patch of ground. But Corbyn can be seen speaking on the screen in the background – so if the unfurling that supposedly led to their immediate ejection was ‘as Jeremy started speaking‘, the still image was taken after they were supposedly ‘ushered out of the venue’.
Speaking to the SKWAWKBOX, Jasmin Beckett insisted that her account had been accurate. Ms Beckett was asked about whether the Sky interview represented an accurate account of her experience at Labour Live and the answer was short and simple:
Yes… I was ejected, we were ushered through a back exit by a security guard.
Beckett was adamant that there were three security guards behind the group as they walked out. Here is the footage of their walk away from the crowd before they regathered to take a picture apart from the crowd with their banner:
The video, and the stills below showing several members of the group walking out, do not appear to show any security guards in attendance:
She also insisted that mainstream journalists had been present and had taken pictures of their removal and tweeted them – but was unable to name any, except “Kevin Schofield might have been one of them“.
Mr Schofield’s Twitter feed since Saturday does not appear to contain any relevant images – although three tweets contain images of the un-ushered group and their banner – and the SKWAWKBOX has been unable to find tweets from other journalists about it, nor do any members of the group appear to have provided any images when asked for evidence.
Jasmin Beckett is standing for election to Labour’s vital National Executive Committee (NEC) this summer as part of the Labour First/Progress slate. She has previously been accused of inciting false allegations against an opponent to win a place on the NEC as Labour’s youth representative.
The SKWAWKBOX attempted to reach Richard Brooks for comment. He had not responded by the time of publication.
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Bringing the Party into disrepute. But I dare say they’ll get away with it. The party is much more gentle on ‘rebels’ than the Blairite party was. Mind you, with all these lies, it becomes more serious, doesn’t it?
Good work Squawkbox!
Jasmine Beckette has a history of lying. She disgusts me. http://45minutes.getforge.io/scandals/jasmin/beckett/2016/02/27/jasmin-beckett-exposed.html
We see this all too often from the RW. The fact that they have absolutely zero evidence to back up their rather silly assertions doesn’t do much for their credibility.
Does anyone seriously believe that if Jasmin and her cohorts claims were true that they wouldn’t have gleefully recorded every second of it and that this footage would then have been repeatedly broadcast on MSM.
Since Jeremy was elected leader we have seen numerous unsubstantiated claims by the RW but strangely, despite everyone and his dog having a smartphone, there is never any evidence to support their protestations.
Enough is enough, it is time the party took action against members at all levels who make malicious accusations against the party and its members.
Jasmine Beckett smeared an innocent man as anti-Semite in 2016. http://www.leftfutures.org/2016/02/young-labour-in-left-landslide-but-chaos-manipulation-smears-mar-nec-election/
I believe there is an official complaint leveled against Beckett over this smear anyone know what the outcome of that complaint was?
Ably assisted by josh woolas in that link. Son of malicious (and illegal) election campaign, former MP and all-round gobshite, phil…And we all remember how he accused his opponent of: ‘Wooing MUSLIM extremists’ , don’t we?
That’s as well as getting thoroughly owned by Joanna Lumley over the Gurkha’s plight…Anyone see a pattern here?
Oh, and kier starmer’s a shithouse for not prosecuting the poisonous little shit. Beckett’s cantrip is the result of woolas not being prosecuted.
I can’t think of one reason why they shouldn’t be thrown out of the party. To plan and execute this sort of challenge to the leadership is disgraceful. I hope when the next selection process happens people remember this
Give them their due, that’s some excellent needlework on the banner.
And “Jeremy, we love EU” isn’t just ‘quite funny’, it’s hilarious. Inspired even. Not at all embarrassingly juvenile.
I do have questions though…
They were there representing TWO dedicated groups of activists – For our Future’s Sake and Our Future, Our Choice – so why just the one banner and only 14 people in the posed press photo?
Brooks claimed ’20 or 25′ (too many for an accurate count, clearly) – were the rest of them taken away by ambulance after their clash with “security” I wonder?
Was there a more important event that same day that all their other members and supporters were demonstrating at?
How many new members did they sign up while they waited for Jeremy?
Right wingers purportedly labour party members attack the Labour Party !?
By all means disagree with the policies disagree with the actions but don’t lie , Be cket and co have bought the party into disrepute and need to be expelled hopefully soon and there should be absolutely no question of Beckett been allowed to stand for any position on the NEC as such a bear faced liar is certainly not fit and proper material to be on such a prestigious board
Neo-libs love fake news!
There is one of them called Melantha or something, she said on Twitter “we left”, not that they were chucked out or whatever. It’s on her Twitter.
Of course I have just seen that when the others lied on tv about it people saw her tweet from the night before and asked her about it she backtracked / joined with the lie. https://mobile.twitter.com/Melantha___/status/1008075922291994624
Ha! You mean to tell me she wouldn’t have said they were chucked out in the first place if it was true?! This looks to be another smear job from the samegroup.
I have no issues with their campaign as long as they don’t do stunts and lies like this which aim is just to attack the leader. They cling to anything they can use against corbyn and therefore against labour, so that Labour is damaged in order to get rid of Corbyn. Like Mandelson said , he does something every single day no matter how small in order to bring corbyn leadership to an end. Richard Angel admired him for that. These are all in the same crew.
Whose actions are more likely to bring the party into disrepute Ms Beckett or Mr Wadsworth?
which one is really guilty ? Wadsworth falsely accused by Smeeth or Ms Beckett who lied on TV to damage Labour
‘Stop Backing Brexit’? What an inane banner to have at London’s Labour Live? We all know that a lot of Labour members and supporters were Brexit voters – just as is the same with Labour members and supporters who voted Remain. The ‘Stop Backing Brexit’ couple were at the wrong venue. They should have more appropriately attended some event in the North of England where ‘Labour conurbations’ are solid for Brexit. The Labour Party is particularly nuanced over the issue of Remain or Brexit. Me? As staunchly Labour and for Corbyn as I am I voted Brexit. Send the pair round my way with their banner and I’ll soon send them packing with red faces and a torn-up banner.
On a positive note, NEC elections are coming up soon,I know where my vote won’t be going.