Announcement made on page of hugely successful crowdfund for Corbyn’s defence
Panorama journalist John Ware can no longer sue former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, according to an announcement on the hugely-successful crowdfunding page set up by a supporter to raise funds for Corbyn’s legal defence after Ware first threatened legal action over Corbyn’s and Labour’s comments about the journalism and impartiality of the programme.
An update on the page tells subscribers and supporters that the action is now ruled out by the passage of the 22 July deadline for Ware to serve legal papers on the Islington North MP:
The last year was indeed a very hectic one for me and for Team JBC Defence so when the funds finally reached Jeremy, it felt strange to be in calmer waters. We haven’t stopped overseeing the fund and will continue to do so until all threats of legal action against Jeremy have ceased. (Of course it may be that the coming together of thousands of us to support Jeremy against these bullying tactics has served as a deterrent to those considering using the law to attack him.)
As you know, Jeremy has now received the fund and is keeping your generous donations safe in a separate bank account. One member of Team JBC Defence Ltd. is an accountant, and is supporting Jeremy by keeping the records for the fund.
Things are quite quiet at the moment on the legal front, but I do have some good news. As you know, I originally started the fund because I had learned that John Ware intended to sue Jeremy for libel. We have now learned that he will not be proceeding as the deadline passed (22nd July) without his filing the case.
A case brought by pro-Israel activist Richard Millett has seen court action already and is proceeding.
Ware and ‘whistleblowers’ who appeared in his 2019 Panorama programme already received payouts from the Labour party after Keir Starmer and his sidekick David Evans capitulated on a case their lawyers expected to win and paid out hundreds of thousands of pounds in an out of court settlement and issued an apology. Evans banned Labour members from even discussing the settlement. The apology fatally compromised the Forde inquiry into the conduct of right-wing party staff, including some of those involved in the lawsuit. Forde’s report has still not been published by the party.
The crowdfund is now held in a separate bank account and administered by Team JBC Defence Ltd. The company’s purpose is to provide funds to cover any legal costs ‘that Jeremy Corbyn may either be unable to recover… or be ordered to pay in defamation proceedings…” – and also any legal costs incurred by any other person ‘as a result of support expressed by that person for Jeremy Corbyn’.
Update: John Ware has told Skwawkbox that contrary to some reports at the time, at no stage did he instruct his lawyer to take proceedings against Jeremy Corbyn and that is therefore incorrect to say that he “abandoned” the case against Mr Corbyn having never initiated proceedings in the first place.
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