‘Sick note’ unsuccessful; private appearance in Birmingham had been arranged for same day, clashing with London tribunal, but event was cancelled only at the end of April
Right-wing Labour MP Khalid Mahmood’s attempt to postpone a tribunal to hear a whistle-blower allegations has been unsuccessful, after the tribunal decided the case will proceed with only a one-day delay that had already been imposed from today until tomorrow.
Skwawkbox understands that Mahmood had presented a ‘fitness for work’ note signed by an old doctor friend, reporting that stomach and kidney issues affected his attendance.
However, Skwawkbox also understands that the note was dated two days before Mahmood reported his health issue to the tribunal and that Mahmood had also been scheduled to appear this morning in Birmingham as ‘keynote speaker’ at a diversity event involving a local footballer, clashing with the tribunal hearing/ The event was postponed in late April, some time after the tribunal date had been set.
The tribunal’s decision avoids further waiting and expense both for whistleblower Elaina Cohen and her witnesses and means that Mahmood will now be required to give evidence as scheduled, presumably by video link. He is likely to miss tonight’s Commons vote on a private members’ bill for further whistleblower protections.
Ms Cohen, who used to work for Mahmood, was dismissed after alleging abuse, bullying, theft, corruption and antisemitism. Both Mahmood and party leader Keir Starmer were contacted for comment but did not respond. Mahmood denied ‘all allegations of impropriety’ when approached by Skwawkbox more than a year ago. Keir Starmer took no action against the then-frontbencher at the time, who resigned from the front bench three months later, reportedly because of policy disagreements with the ‘London-based bourgeoisie’.
Leaked emails from Cohen to Keir Starmer and David Evans proved that the pair had been made fully and repeatedly aware of Cohen’s allegations but had not acted. Starmer did not respond to requests for comment on those emails.
Skwawkbox is in London to cover the beginning of the case, which is now expected to conclude next week, along with the Claudia Webbe appeal. If you would like to help cover the costs of the trip, please see here for details.
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He should have used the old pill popping route instead of sickness .Keith Vaz was a master of the game of deceit and certainly nobody amongst the right of the labour party had any problems with pills or even sniffing it.
ITs hard work being a rightwhinger so the odd relapse into lies and deceit is just a day in the life of a Starmer supporter.
Delighted that the Tribunal decided not to postpone this case. Tribunal proceedings can be very stressful for the applicant and it is good that Mahmood’s sick note ploy was unsuccessful and Ms Cohen was spared further delays
The eventual findings of the Tribunal will be a matter of public record and will be published on the Employment Tribunal Website. l look forward to reading them in due course
quertboi I T doesn’t cover when two lovers fall out though or the cost of the legals or the hotels the mp and lovers booked onto the taxpayer does it.?This type of graveytrain behaviour including employees is rife in the PLP.
NOT ANOTHER ONE
A Conservative MP has been arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault.
The unnamed MP has been asked not to attend parliament while a police investigation is ongoing.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “In January 2020, the Met received a report relating to alleged sexual offences having been committed between 2002 and 2009.
“The offences are alleged to have occurred in London.
“An investigation is ongoing, led by officers from Central Specialist Crime.
“A man, aged in his 50s, was arrested on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust and misconduct in public office. He remains in custody.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-rape-arrest-parliament-b2081147.html
Thanks for covering the case, Skwawky.
I kinda respect him despite the RW accusations. He was the first Asian MP to sit in the HoC when he won Birmingham Perry Barr seat for Labour at the 2001 GE (ah, the happy days before our then-PM became a war criminal). Khalid Mahmood is also, I believe, the longest sitting Asian in the HoC. He resigned as PPS to Tony McNulty in 2006 and called for Tony Blair to resign as Prime Minister. He served Jeremy as Shadow something-or-another. All good, so far.
Then, in 2019 the Birmingham Mail that Mahmood was the most expensive Birmingham MP in 2018, (claiming £210,183 in expenses). Some people criticise him for doing a Boris and switching sides (to Remain, from Brexit) in the EU Membership Referendum. Starmer appointed him to a shadow defence role and he very publicly resigned, and made a very pointed criticism of theSpecial Envoy of the Trilateral Commission serving at that time as leader of Labour, Sir Keir Rodney Starmer.
Wiki covers it thus: “On 13 April 2021,[18] Mahmood resigned from the shadow frontbench, saying that his party had been taken over by “a London-based bourgeoisie, with the support of brigades of woke social media warriors”. He later spoke to Spiked about his decision.” (which is worth a read)
Thing is, Khalid Mahmood was born in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Two days after assuming Labour leadership, Starmer reversed Jeremy Corbyn and Conference’s support for Kashmir. And this probably explains Mahmood’s sudden and intense dislike for Starmer. He’s not alone in that. In Leeds NE CLP, 49 Pakistani-born members of the party also resigned their membership of the party because of Starmer’s K-Turn.
Starmer’s bad for Labour in more ways than you can throw a cat at.