Messages from 2017 prove that Keir Starmer was going to take a consultancy job with a top law firm until he was blocked from doing so by then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Starmer had ‘flatly denied’ this, claiming instead that he was in discussion with the firm but had already turned it down before Corbyn was ‘even aware of it’.
Former Corbyn speechwriter Alex Nunns has said that Starmer and his office were ‘not smart’ to deny something when they must have known there would be ‘receipts’:
And the receipts, which are in the form of an email and text messages from Starmer’s representatives to Corbyn’s office after press reports about his new post were ‘gathering legs’, show that he was looking to take the role, but wanted to clarify ‘that it’s a limited role of a few hours a month’:
The messages prove that Starmer had certainly not ‘turned it down before Corbyn was aware of it’ and suggest that he wanted and intended to accept. Despite Starmer’s interest, as Nunns has observed, it was Corbyn who enforced Shadow Cabinet policy against second jobs.
‘Not smart’ indeed.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you can afford to without hardship, please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep bringing you information the Establishment would prefer you not to know about.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.