Right-wing trash site uses false headline to twist simple story – here’s the real one
Right-wing smears against the left continue. Trash site ‘Guido Fawkes’ has published an outright fiction about former Labour MP Laura Pidcock – no author has had the courage to put a name to it – claiming that she has been ‘fined’ by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner (PSC).
Pidcock has repaid £3,835 after the PSC decided that adding some words to a letter to local pensioners about free TV licences had made a standard notification into a political communication that should not have been sent out on parliamentary notepaper.
Fawkes claimed Pidcock was ‘fined’, but in fact – as even the PSC document the site quoted acknowledges – Pidock agreed to repay the cost of the bulletin:
The former Member acknowledged and apologised for her inadvertent breach of the rules. She has undertaken to refund the House authorities
No fine of any kind was imposed.
Laura Pidcock has commented directly:
Before the usual suspects make mischief with this, I just wanted to briefly explain what, in fact, happened. In September 2019, I wrote to constituents about the scrapping of free TV licences for over 75s. The primary purpose of the letter was to inform constituents that they could come to my office to get a pension credit check, because if they qualified for pension credits, they would still be entitled to a free TV license. Subsequently, someone complained to the Parliamentary standards commissioner about the letter and I was therefore investigated. The commissioner said this:
“Although her original intention was to raise awareness around changes to rules for over 75’s TV licenses, alterations made by Ms Pidcock to a letter template, provided by the Parliamentary Research Service (PRS), resulted in her mailing becoming party-political in tone and content, and no longer neutral or objective.”
The commissioner therefore decided that the appropriate action would be to pay back the postage and stationery costs for the communications sent, which I have agreed to do and accepted her decision. The case is now closed.
As I stated in the evidence I submitted, it was an honest mistake. I wanted constituents to know my office was there for them if they needed our help. Although I am no longer an MP, I have learned so much in my time as an MP and still see it as the most amazing privilege of my life.
The right is determined to destroy the left – which just makes it all the more essential that the left unifies and fights. Solidarity to Ms Pidcock.
Fawkes is an entirely unregulated site, so even in such cases of complete fiction there is no regulatory body to make a complaint to – not even the ‘sham‘ IPSO.
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What is Laura Pidcock doing now? I always feel sorry for ex MPs having to rough it in with the rest of us when the foolish electors dump them and deprive them of the big incomes and allowances and expenses, massive pension entitlements not to mention enormous redundancy payments way above statutory amounts they have voted themselves, (all compared to what ordinary working class people would expect to receive) and they have to make their way in the real world. Of course the world of ‘big union’ jobs on similar benefits is always there. ‘Political Advisor’ or ‘Research Director’ beckons I’m sure. I wonder if ex MPs can get their relatives and friends into the line at the trough? Must be possible for the well connected. Perhaps the Skwawker could organise a whip round for these poor souls
Pleased to tell Laura inside tent doing what she does best fighting Tories
Whereas too many on here are outside the tent pissing in
Rejoin, recruit and vote
Unlike those toerag MPs what lost their seats in 2017, unfortunately for Laura there was no tess may to give them jobs elsewhere or ex-gratia bunces because may called it wrong.
Now, I’m the first to agree that MPs have it large. The longer they’re there, the larger the ‘large’ becomes. But don’t forget Pidcock was only an MP for 30 or so months – not years.
And she provided infinitely more value for those 30 or so months than the vast majority of MPs who’ve ‘served’ more than one term.
Plain Stupid….You really are a sad. sad old ignorant Tory .The Lady’s one of the best examples of a leader of a Socialist party in waiting..and your comments are pure bile…!
@PC you utter WANKER
”Subsequently, someone complained to the Parliamentary standards commissioner about the letter and I was therefore investigated.”
Hmmm…Perhaps some disgruntled crapita bully boy (On behalf of Tv licensing) operating in the vicinity, I’d suspect..
These Tv licensing mafiosi are from the north east. One suspects they’d have to resort to different tactics to con people into paying for a licence they didn’t need so they could ‘earn’ their £20 commission, the rodents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8zQS38S82U
Wouldn’t surprise me if it was either or both of them.
As for the plod in that video – they really ought to be ashamed of themselves yet again. Operating on behalf of the corporations instead of upholding common law.
But, like stammer, they don’t do shame.
SB
Yet another Right vs Left in fighting stir up.
You’re doing the Tories job for them.
Have subscribed to your site for a long time.
Not anymore.
Sick of the repetitive bitterness, that if it continues, will never see Labour in power.
” You’re doing the Tories job for them.”
If Skwawky WAS doing the toerags’ job for them he’d be getting starmer’s blessing ffs.
Nevermind. Tatty-bye.
Thus we can expect no further comments then if you are free loading on here
BYE BYE
Laura has said shes staying in Labour, she seems to be working with the Peoples Assembly quite a lot
Plain citizen, I’d bet that Laura Pidcock would have been among those left wing MP’s whose election funds were diverted by corrupt Labour staff to right wingers in safe seats.
I don’t know her or any MP personally so can only judge them by their statements and voting records.
Her maiden speech was enough to convince me she wasn’t in it for the money and is one of the good ones so, to put it politely, I think your bitching is undeserved in her case.
Plainc
Your blithering towards pidcock shows you up for what you are, she is a very hardworking socialist. If only she hadnt lost her seat, we could have had a leader fighting for the many, I cant take your replies seriously any more
”I cant take your replies seriously any more”
Whaddaya mean, ”any more”?
Just wonder if she could SUE the fuckers at the shit heap site whom I’ll not even mention as I don’t want to give it any more exposure , other than the bottom of the turd heap where it belongs
Of course she could. Stating that she was fined, as opposed to her agreeing amicably to repay the money, implies deliberate wrongdoing on her part. As there wasn’t, and this was clear from the various statements, the implication of dishonesty is libellous. Sue the fuckers out of business, I say.
If you believe in Karma then Laura losing gives her family time with bairn before we ask them to step up to the plate again, that’s not something that should be taken lightly
Leadership election showed us there is not that many candidates who can deveolop JC legacy, I hope clear red water is now only way forward
From Wikipedia,
Guido Fawkes Weekly readership[edit]
Every Saturday, the website posts weekly visitor numbers and the top seven most read stories of the week. In the week ending 4 July 2020, the website had 212,667 visitors that visited 719,613 times, viewing 1,206,276 pages.[20] The highest number of weekly visitors to the site came in the week ending 30 November 2019, in the run-up to the 2019 United Kingdom general election. The website had 450,436 visitors that visited 1,306,506 times, viewing 2,039,625 pages.[21]
No figures regarding Skwawkbox? I wonder why.
Self-promoter Staines’ legal history proves him a liar (High Court Judge Mr. Justice Laddie).
The existence of DDoS attacks suggests website visitor numbers can be spoofed.
Even if the numbers are genuine, all they prove is that there are more knuckle-dragging Tory dupes than socialists – and every general election proves how easily gulled the majority is.