“It’s been silence from Keir Starmer over violence against women. Why does the Labour leader give this MP a free pass and target others?”
Right-wing Labour MP Khalid Mahmood last week lost a tribunal case brought against him by whistleblower Elaina Cohen for unfair dismissal. Ms Cohen had reported allegations that Mahmood’s staff member and alleged lover was threatening, bullying and blackmailing victims of domestic violence into committing crimes.
During the case, Ms Cohen turned down escalating offers by Mahmood’s team to settle the case before the judgment – offers that reached six figures by the time of her final rejection as she refused to be gagged and demanded an apology from the MP.
Shamefully, Keir Starmer has never acted to discipline or even investigate Mahmood, who remained on his front bench despite Ms Cohen’s repeated emails notifying him and general secretary David Evans of the allegations and demanding action – effectively covering up the allegations – and even posed for publicity pictures with the shamed MP at last week’s Commonwealth Games opening, despite the revelations.
Damningly, Mahmood’s legal team accepted without challenge the sworn witness statement of ‘Victim A’ about the horrors she and others suffered, rather than put her on the stand to talk to the tribunal panel about her experiences.
Since the defeat, Mahmood has tried to create a narrative in which he ‘won’ the case and was ‘pleased’ with the outcome and even responded to revelations about the rejected settlement offers by tweeting a claim that Cohen’s ‘friends’ had tried to gouge an ‘extortionate’ settlement out of him, while he – supposedly – resisted the pressure and wanted to see the case through to the end.
Mahmood even claimed that he could provide ‘text and email evidence’:
Ms Cohen and her friends reacted with fury to the ‘defamatory’ claim and demanded that Mahmood provide this evidence, including a direct demand for it from Cohen’s lawyers to Mahmood’s legal team to disclose it no later than 5pm tonight.
No response was provided.
Ms Cohen told Skwawkbox:
The tweet is a continuation of Mr Mahmood’s misinformation in the public domain. He has been requested to provide the evidence that he says exists and so far he has remained silent.
It’s been silence from Keir Starmer over violence against women. Why does the Labour leader give this MP a free pass and target others?
‘Victim A’ added:
I feel absolutely disgusted. First of all he claimed I was fake, then my testimony was accepted without challenge, now it’s about money. I sat next to him in court and he’s still claiming I’m fake and now that I’m stalking people for money. If I’m fake, how can I be extorting people for money?
When is it going to end? When is he going to admit he’s in the wrong? How can he be an MP?
And Majid Khan, one of Cohen’s witnesses at the tribunal, said:
It’s despicable that he’s targeting witnesses who gave spoke up in the tribunal against violence toward women, that’s what the essence of this case is. It’s shocking that someone like an MP, who should have standards in public life, is making these defamatory comments.
Khalid Mahmood was contacted for comment on why he had not provided the evidence he claims to have, but did not respond. Keir Starmer has been repeatedly contacted for comment about his inaction in a case involving allegations of criminal exploitation of domestic violence victims but has never responded.
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Hmmm – well its news to me that the abused women
gave evidence at the trial – so thanks Skwawkie!
The whole thing has been so complicated though
its no wonder I was confused ..
So will the women NOW provide evidence to the
police?
Holby, most women withdrew their statements and witness “A” has refused to co-operate with the Police. It appears that Elaina Cohen informed Khalid Mahmood on the police involvement despite the Police telling her not to do so. See pg 14 and 16 on report below
https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Elaina-Cohen-v-Khalid-Mahmood-MP-judgment.pdf
Madge (pederast enabler) Hodge made slurs against child sexual abuse victims. Didn’t end well.
Didn’t end well for who? I dont remember ..
Mind you – Elaina is a tough cookie so
not likely to be put off .. so it looks as if
Mahmood has met his match ..
I wonder how many have read all of the Employment Tribunal’s judgement.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62e9337ed3bf7f75b61f8bca/Ms_E_Cohen_vs_Mr_K_Mahmood_MP.pdf
We’ll see what happens on 29&30Sept.
That the ‘remedy’ will go against Mahmood is not doubted. The judgement report you link to provides page after page of substantiated claims instancing Mahmood’s bullying, Mahmood’s misogyny and probable misogamy, his fraudulent endeavours and – most shockingly – how he “deceived the DVLA and using parliamentary influence could be considered by the commissioner a crime if the intent of the communication was not to pay or wriggle out of a tax offence and debt.”
I’d previously respected Khalid Mahmood sufficiently to give him the benefit of a doubt over Ms. Cohen’s claims. No More! I suspect the Remedy (end August/ Sep) is only delayed so Employment Judge Adkin can check with the CPS whether criminal action can be taken against the MP. I hope it can.
qwertboi, it appears that Khalid Mahmood didn’t know anything about the fraudulent use of its stationary to start with. However, Mahmood failed to act when the fraud was pointed out to him.
Moreover, it appears that Cohen insistence on the matter was part of the reason she was unfairly dismissed. Perhaps you still remember how Labour Peterborough MP, Fiona Onasanya was forced to resign her seat in 2019 over a driving offence, after she perjured herself in Court.
Hence, I would expect charges been filed against Ms Hussain and possibly Mahmood for covering after her. Otherwise, the charges filed against Claudia Webbe MP would made a stark contrast and will not set the police on a positive light.
In Webbe’s case we have an scenario of she says/she says, while on this case we have proof that Parliamentary Stationery was used to commit fraud.
We will have to wait and see for the remedial hearing on the 29th September.
Majid Khan, the witness, is right. It is shocking that a public figure has such low, selfish, self-serving standards. It’s become widespread. The whole world and its dog. Mostly we don’t notice because the MSM blurs the issues for us and nudges us to blame the victim(s). Thanks skwawkie for not.
Look this politician is nothing unusual in the labour party…self serving and pig ignorant is a virtue in the PLP and Hq bunker gone southside.There appears to be a endless line of criminal behaviour from the labour party that only the left wing seem to be apalled by.For the rest of the labour party its business as usual as they move round the deck chairs whilst any sign of a genuine opposition party sinks beneath the waves….sooner gone the better..!
True that Joseph. No one should be shocked by actions of criminals.
It is shameful what Mahmood is doing. I hope that Elaina Cohen takes him to task for defamation of character.
However, Elaina Cohen hasn’t done the women victims any favours. The police specifically told her not to inform Mahmood on the ongoing police investigation. What Elaina Cohen did? Out of a misplaced sense of loyalty towards Mahmood she informed him.
Perhaps as a result most witnesses withdrew their complaints and witness A refused to co-operate with the Police. This is the reason than nobody has been prosecuted because they are not complaining witnesses. (see transcript of case below)
https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Elaina-Cohen-v-Khalid-Mahmood-MP-judgment.pdf
It is my academic guest that as soon as Mahmood became aware of the allegations against Ms Hussein (his alleged mistress) Mahmood informed her and she would have put pressure on the women to withdraw their complaints. She wouldn’t have need to know the identity of the complaining women. I can easily imagine and scenario in which Ms Hussain would have made threats towards any woman prepared to be a witness against her.
Still, Mahmood doesn’t appear to be involved in the explotation of the women as in the Court transcript the judge doesn’t consider the testimony of witness A relevant to the case. See pg 7 on the Tribunal judgement above.
Therefore, since the matters alleged by witness “A” doesn’t appear to directly involve Khalid Mahmood MP, the Tribunal doesn’t accept that witness “A” is telling the truth, rather that the Tribunal doesn’t know and her statement went unchallenged as it was deemed not relevant to the claim of unfair dismissal.
Hence, I am afraid Starmer doesn’t have to discipline Mahmood since not criminal case has been proven against him or Ms Hussain. It all boils down to unsubstantiated allegations.
However, in view of the way Starmer reacted towards Claudia Webbe and Apsana Begum it brings into contrast the difference in treatment. I have not doubts that in a similar case involving a member of the SCG Starmer would have withdrew the Labour whip.
Yes, I bet Elaina Cohen is kicking herself about being so decent and fair re her ‘lover’ when she was still romantically connected with Mahmood. Proves the old point that we are all affected by the company we keep – especially when we don’t think abt it.
Thanks for the pointer to pge 7 Maria.
However Elaina still seems determined to obtain
justice for the abused women. Is it too late for
this to happen now?
It is interesting to compare the two women – for
each behaved foolishly with respect to a man.
By “the two women” I meant Claudia Webbe and
Elaina Cohen
Labour (apart from the odd good apple) seems to be stuffed with degenerates. If they aren’t trying sleazy behaviour, its fattening their bank accounts or even torching per shops!
They really are a Tory tribute act. (Expenses scandal showed this. Only difference between the two was the poorer Tories couldn’t bail themselves out…)
NVLA, at least with a Tory you know that each and everyone of them are corrupt lying sleazebags. Labour purport to be decent Democratic Socialists when really they are as bad as the Tories. That makes them more dishonest in my opinion.
baz2001 – In your unbiased opinion? 😏
@baz2001
I’ve hear the analogy of wolves and foxes to describe the American parties. Republicans are the wolves. You know where you stand when they bare their teeth. Democratic fixes pure you in with their foxy smile. It’s just the same at the end point though.
Slippery gits…
They try not to say too much because the gravy would show and their desires revealed.
Angela Smith: Private water director
Chuka Umunna: Banking
Gavin Shuker: Banking
Gloria De Piero: GB News
Ian Austin: Tory peer
Joan Ryan: Israel lobbyist
John Woodcock: Tory peer
Owen Smith: Pharmaceutical lobbyist
Tom Watson: Betting industry
Michael Dugher – lobbyist for the Betting and Gaming Council
Chris Leslie – debt collectors’ association (Credit Services Association)
Luciana Berger – executive at Edelman (union busting PR firm)
… and, to clarify the achievements of Ummuna and Smith:
Angela Smith – board of Portsmouth Water
Chuka Umunna – head of ESG at Edelman (union busting PR firm)
Labour? Oh, come on.
From reading the tribunal report there is little one can state with much certainty other than that Cohen and Mahmood should not end up working together as a result of a settlement – the interests of those they were employed to represent were very much secondary to the playing out of the grievances of a former affair. That Mahmood is now contorting himself to accommodate subsequent affair raises serious questions about his suitability as an MP.
I think that is a fair summing up. I think Cohen will
NOT want to regain her employment but will do
what she can to make sure the abused women
get justice. At least that’s what I surmise anyway
from what she has recently said. I just hope it is
not too late for the women.
I just wonder though what it is about men like
Mahmood that attracts women and makes them
stick with them no matter how badly they behave.
This is the third or fourth intelligent professional
woman associated with the Labour Party either
as staff or MP who has got involved with a bully
and sleaze and nearly*** ruined her career .
*** Still hoping that Claudia comes out of her
horrible experience OK