Four men and a woman aged between 23 and 47 have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, Greater Manchester Police said today. This comes after an investigation by the Manchester Mill alleged that fake independent candidates were put forward by Tameside Labour in the local elections to split opposition votes. GMP said:
“This morning, officers in Tameside arrested five people on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud as part of an investigation into alleged offences committed leading up to the local elections.
In the days leading up to and following the election on May 7, we received reports surrounding concerns about candidates within the St Peter’s ward.
Following initial enquiries last week, we have launched a full investigation into the allegations.
The work is specifically investigating the process of how candidates were put forward and represented in the ward, and if this adhered to the relevant legislation and electoral procedures.
The five people – four men and a woman aged between 23 and 47 – were arrested at addresses in Tameside this morning. They remain in custody for questioning.
We are working closely with the Electoral Commission and local partners as part of our enquiries. We will provide further updates as we progress our investigation further.”
A Labour Party spokesman said: “No evidence has been presented of any Labour Party involvement in these allegations. We categorically reject any suggestion that the Party was involved. The local Labour team is focussed on what really matters – delivering for residents and protecting services, not playing political games. We are unable to provide any further comment while police inquiries are underway.” Developing…
Every month, we’ll publish the power rankings of all the leading lights in the party based on our readers’ responses. Click here to fill in the survey, and the results will be published at the end of the month. Dan Thomas and Malcolm Offord have been added to the roster. Here’s how last month played out…
We’re offering £10 off your Guido membership once you complete it. If you’re not a Guido member yet, that’s a whole month as a Co-Conspirator for free. You’ll get instant access to all our exclusive content, including Labour Wars and The Right Angle…
The full email exchange as referenced in the Sun’s story is here. Burnham wanted some PR, so they cooked up an idea to brand a train yellow, this cost £35,000….
Labour is refusing to publish the resignation letters of all the ministers and PPSs who resigned last week. Keen to move on?
Asked by Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart if the Cabinet Office would “publish a copy of each resignation letter from Ministers and Parliamentary Private Secretaries who have resigned in the last month, and a copy of the Prime Minister’s reply in each case, that have not otherwise already been published on gov.uk,” the government simply said: “No. The exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and the former Health Secretary is available on gov.uk.” It is standard practice to publish letters…
More than ten ministers and PPSs resigned since the Rickety Coup began. Labour doesn’t want the public to enjoy the bedtime reading…
An ex-minister who is now advising Andy Burnham on policy has expressed support for a cocktail of far-left proposals that would cripple the economy. You think Reeves proposing food price caps was bad…
Miatta Fahnbulleh, who served as a senior economic adviser to Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband before entering government as energy minister and then housing minister, resigned last week. She has been in the anti-Starmer orbit for some time…
She was spotted at a Lucy Powell for Deputy Leader event in October last year and is close to Ed Miliband, who has also seconded one of his SpAds to Team Burnham. A takeover…
Along with directing policy and research for the left-wing think tank IPPR, Fahnbulleh for six years served as CEO of the capitalism-sceptic New Economics Foundation. The NEF under Fahnbulleh recommended, among other things:
Fahnbulleh also supports the creation of large nationalised energy companies to “flood the market“, accompanied by the introduction of “free basic energy” for everyone.
Worryingly, Fahnbulleh yesterday celebrated the blockage of almost 900 new homes in her constituency of Peckham, forcing residents to put up with a dilapidated 80s shopping centre for more years instead. Burnham said today that his first big target is housing – it’s not going well so far…
The British government has funded American social media influencers to the tune of more than £110,000 to talk up the special relationship. Can be a good way to reach the MAGA crowd if you know which ones to pay…
Since 01 January 2025 under five influencers were paid £111,216.75 as part of the “Greater Together” campaign, whose primary push is:
“No two nations work together quite like the USA and the UK. Whether in business or culture, technology or the arts, together we are greater than the sum of our parts. That’s the power of partnership, and every day, 1.2 million Americans go to work for UK-owned businesses, more than any other nation.”
The campaign website includes various info, examples of UK-US collaboration, and promotional material for Britain. Guido’s FOI Unit has also found that six influencers in France were paid £107,670.51 to promote the “Audacious Kingdom” campaign, which has a similar French-language website promoting the UK. The translated text the reads:
“The ‘Audacious Kingdom’ celebrates the rebellious spirit of the United Kingdom. From Clare Smyth to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival , this rebellious spirit liberates and inspires those who experience it.”
Come visit the rebellious rosbifs…
Paula Barker, Liverpool Wavertree MP backing Andy Burnham, told Times Radio there wouldn’t be trouble from the markets under Burnham:
“The markets will have to fall in line.”