The scribe

[The Telegraph @Telegraph]

The Housing Secretary received £182,376 from second jobs, including corporate speaking engagements and a book advance, as well as a £16,876 ministerial exit payment after resigning last autumn.

Read the full breakdown of her "gap year" below ⤵️

https://t.co/nOUMcGcopV

[The scribe @elainacohen5]

new law on accountability has 👀 interest @WMPolice @UKLabour top brass ignoring whistleblowers .🚓 now trying 2 brush their systemic failures 2 tackle politically connected crimes under carpet by shackling free speech .. tut tut @toadmeister @eldiablo0786

[The scribe @elainacohen5]

@toadmeister @guardian Joined FSU today ..

[Toby Young @toadmeister]

Earlier today a @Guardian journalist sent me this query:

Dear Toby Young,

I'm Aisha Down, a journalist at the Guardian. I'm getting in touch because we're planning to report that the US state department is considering a grant of $5m to Free Speech Union, your organisation, as part of a new grant-making scheme, and wanted to give you the chance to comment. We would appreciate receiving your comment by 14:30.

We are considering reporting the following:

- The grant to the FSU is part of a package to Maga aligned groups that former US officials have condemned as a misuse of public money to seek influence over foreign politics and interfere with democracy.

- It is rare for the US government to fund partisan political organisations in western countries.

- These grants are likely to pose a challenge to Andy Burnham, who has said he will be "very upfront" with Trump about any disagreements.

- These grants - including to your organisation - are "sole source" grants, meaning they are to be awarded without any competitive process. This is unusual for a highly regulated process which usually requires grantees to show they have a track record for handling funds and clear plans for the money.

- This lack of process has been criticised as "outrageous and absurd" by former US officials, and as "gross incompetence" and "horrible stewardship" of US taxpayer money.

- Your organisation does not appear to have a track record of handling grants of this amount.

- We describe your organisation as "a rallying point for “anti-woke” grievance" which "frequently allies itself with rightwing causes" and say that you, Toby Young, appeared on Rees-Mogg's GB news show earlier this month to warn about 'Soviet-style' censorship in the UK.

- The state department says that its grant to FSU will “support campaigns promoting free speech and countering digital overregulation across the UK, Europe and Australia”. The sole-source award is justified “due to FSU’s global network of free speech activists”.

We would like to fully and fairly reflect your point of view and look forward to your statement. Thank you,

--
Aisha Kehoe Down
Senior Tarbell Fellow,
Guardian News and Media

I replied as follows:

It sounds like a pretty garbled story.

Free Speech Union International, which is the umbrella group that FSU UK, FSU Australia, FSU New Zealand, FSU Canada, FSU South Africa and FSU Brazil sit within, has expressed interest in applying for grant funding from the US State Department. This would be to promote the right to freedom of expression in those countries, which, far from being a partisan cause, is a universal human right. But it hasn't submitted a formal application and, consequently, has been awarded no grant from the State Department or any other branch of the US Government.

You've mischaracterised the FSUs, all of which are non-partisan organisations that defend people who get into trouble for exercising their right to feee speech regardless of their political views. The FSU UK, for instance, is currently paying for the legal defence of a protestor who's being prosecuted for holding up a sign saying "I support Palestine Action", as well as a protestor for wearing a t-shirt at a Unite the Kingdom rally for saying "Fuck Islam Christ is King". Yes, we helped Lucy Connolly appeal her sentence -- we thought a prison sentence of over two-and-a-half years for a single tweet was excessive -- but we also tweeted yesterday, condemning the arrest of Heather Herbert and offering our support. Yes, we came to the defence of Nigel Farage when he was debanked, but we've also offered to help the Canary in its recent debanking case. So to describe the FSU UK as a "rallying point for anti-woke grievance" is misleading. We are a rallying point for those who want to defend the right to freedom of expression.

Best,

Toby

The @Guardian then ran this story:

https://t.co/1l4K0PABvM

You be the judge of whether you think this is good journalism.

[The British Patriot @TheBritLad]

Labour’s dream team in action:

Angela Rayner MP, appointed Housing Secretary despite dodging tax on a property.

Louise Haigh, convicted fraudster, appointed First Secretary of State.

Matthew McGregor, Hope Not Hate far-left extremist, appointed Director of Political Strategy.

Lucy Powell MP, who dismissed grooming gang survivors as “dog whistling”, promoted to Education Secretary.

This is who Labour picks to run the country: tax dodgers in housing, fraudsters at the top table, far-left activists steering strategy, and grooming gang downplayers in charge of our children’s education.

A total betrayal of British standards, safety and common sense.

We need a general election right now.

[The scribe @elainacohen5]

@SBarrettBar Andy can say he will change the country but he will never change @UKLabour he’s in the thick of it @PrivateEyeNews @eldiablo0786

[Steven Barrett @SBarrettBar]

I just don't see how he gets around this.

She is a fraudster.

He appointed her.

Do we just have no standards now?

[The scribe @elainacohen5]

@aak1880 @fawadchaudhry @DanQayyum @PKPlaybook Do they ever show remorse for their vile crimes ? That’s a rhetorical question 🤷‍♀️

[Aisha Ali-Khan @aak1880]

Honoured to discuss the appalling case of British grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed with @fawadchaudhry & @DanQayyum on @PKPlaybook.

Shabir Ahmed has never shown any remorse & will be a danger to women & girls wherever he is. He should be behind bars for the rest of his life.

[Daily Mail @DailyMail]

Tories demand Angela Rayner hand back £17k payoff she received for quitting over tax row... now that she's back in her old job just 10 months later https://t.co/y4azOiUiBA

[The scribe @elainacohen5]

The scribe is going to get out her campaigning pen and write to the new Lord Chancellor @AlexJJNorris about the failing employment tribunal service . He now knows what I said about @Keir_Starmer was on the button #whistleblowers @eldiablo0786

[The scribe @elainacohen5]

@AlexJJNorris has come a long way since playing footie with the boys in my back garden @mgs_1515 having a moment .. congrats 🍾 @JoshuaRozenberg @ShabanaMahmood @andyburnham 🐝

[The scribe @elainacohen5]

@AlexJJNorris has come a long way since playing footie with the boys in my back garden @mgs_1515 having a moment .. congrats 🍾 @JoshuaRozenberg @ShabanaMahmood @andyburnham 🐝

[The scribe @elainacohen5]

@GuidoFawkes 😂no change then @UKLabour

[Guido Fawkes @GuidoFawkes]

Convicted Fraudster Gets Control of Propriety & Ethics in the British Government https://t.co/N9CHdr4ZCZ

[The Spectator @spectator]

Andy Burnham's pledge to be 'for all of us' may include hiring a man for his Downing Street staff who called 9/11 a 'false flag' that the US 'knew of… in advance', made jibes against Jews, defended an advocacy group that called Jihadi John a 'beautiful young man', and said that exposés of the child grooming scandals were a 'racist campaign'.

Ali Milani, chair of the Labour Muslim Network, has been working closely with Burnham in the run-up to his election as Makerfield MP and Labour leader, helping with his social media, and has been repeatedly spoken of as an expected hire in No. 10's digital communications team.

What hasn't been reported in the coverage of Milani's potential new job is his views.

✍️ Andrew Gilligan

Article | https://t.co/7MEqrCbXVx | @mragilligan

[The scribe @elainacohen5]

I think @steve_mccabe may have got it right that it’s not going well 4 @andyburnham it’s a small pot at best of times but with @Keir_Starmer allies saying no thanks it’s even smaller .. bringing back the useless hasbeens is now inevitable 🤷‍♀️ @eldiablo0786 @MichelleDewbs

[The scribe @elainacohen5]

@TruthTellerDotC @eldiablo0786 @BrummieGerryM @SandwellSkidder @DarrylMagher @misrikokhan @jodymcintyre_ @Akhmedyakoob1 @andyburnham @10DowningStreet @DPJHodges @NickFerrariLBC @BBCNews @realDonaldTrump It’s just different bums on cabinet seats 🤷‍♀️

[Truth Teller Dot @TruthTellerDotC]

@elainacohen5 @eldiablo0786 @BrummieGerryM @SandwellSkidder @DarrylMagher @misrikokhan @jodymcintyre_ @Akhmedyakoob1 @andyburnham @10DowningStreet @DPJHodges @NickFerrariLBC @BBCNews @realDonaldTrump The2024mandate does not include drilling in the North Sea. I’m all for it,I’m just thinking this was not voted for by the voters In the 2024General Election. I envisage in6months Andy will be hated by the Labour MPs similarly to what happened to Keir,then a GE needs to be called.

[The scribe @elainacohen5]

I liked @hilarybennmp really not bothered about the rest of exits so far but it’s looking like a cabinet of same just different bums on seats @eldiablo0786 @MichelleDewbs @LBC @gstringermp @BBCNewsnight