Henry Newman was special adviser to Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, and director of the OpenEurope think tank.
Keir Starmer promised a Government of service. But every day there are stories which make his new Labour administration seem more focused on self-service.
Cronyism, clothes for the Prime Minister’s wife, holidays and birthday parties for politicians, Civil Service jobs handed to donors and associates, pay rises for senior political staff, and allegations of sweetheart deals with trade union allies.
We aren’t even 100 days in. To cap it off – Keir Starmer himself has now declared more gifts, freebies and donations than any other MP.
Attention has rightly focused on Keir Starmer’s personal donor (and spectacle shopper) Lord Alli and on his access to Downing Street. It’s also focussed on influence Alli may have over Government appointments. There are many questions to be answered about all that.
But there are also other donors that deserve serious scrutiny.
The biggest single donor to MPs is a relatively new organisation – Labour Together.
It presents itself as a ‘think tank offering bold ideas’.
But unlike most think tanks it doesn’t set out many policy papers. Most of its work is opaque. It doesn’t publish a full list of employees. Labour Together is not a charity – unlike Policy Exchange or the IPPR.
The clue is in the name. It is expressly partisan.
Some suggest Labour Together is modelled on the Conservative outfit Onward. But it operates completely differently. Labour Together seconds staff into MPs’ offices, and donates hundreds of thousands of pounds to political candidates. This is not what most think tanks do.
Ex-MP Jon Cruddas described Labour Together as ‘Labour’s first Super PAC’.
His words raise the spectre of Americanisation but they understate what is happening.
Labour Together is not just Labour’s first Super PAC, but a new development in British politics. American Super PACs are actually prohibited from donating to specific political candidates. Labour Together have given to dozens of MPs. Are our electoral regulations fit for this brave new world?
Donations to Labour Together are declared to the Electoral Commission. The donations Labour Together makes are also declared.
This allows some – but not all – of the money flow to be tracked.
Critics argue Labour Together offers donors (and politicians) the chance to ‘wash’ donations. Money from less salubrious sources can be blended together with more anodyne cash, and presented as prime beef mince. I’m sure a Labour Together spokesman would say this is all allowed within the rules. They are probably right, albeit within the current rules.
Some donors have given both to Labour Together and directly to individual MPs. For example, Lord (David) Sainsbury is a major Labour Together backer. Labour Together donated around £65,000 to Rachel Reeves. But Sainsbury also gave £75,000 to Reeves. There is nothing necessarily wrong with that.
But it is a bit odd.
Equally, it seems strange that Reeves sponsors a pass for Nicholas Garland who works for her as a Policy Adviser funded by Labour Together. She is the Chancellor – why does she have a researcher seconded from an external organisation working in her Parliamentary office?
Labour Together have funded a lot of secondees.
Some of these have been handed Civil Service jobs without open competition.
For example, Jess Sergeant worked for Labour Together before becoming the first-ever political appointee to the Propriety and Constitution Group. But Labour Together also funded Nick Thomas-Symonds for whom Sargeant worked in Opposition. He presumably requested Sargeant’s Civil Service role. Did Thomas-Symonds declare his Labour Together funding when one of their staff was parachuted into a senior official position? See also Rose Grayston and Emily Middleton. Labour Together took on a lot of staffers in the immediate run up to the Election, many of whom were seconded to work for shadow ministers. Were specific promises ever made about future Civil Service jobs?
Labour Together’s Chief Executive is ex-MP Jonathan Ashworth. But Companies House declares Josh Simons MP as the only person with ‘significant control’ of Labour Together. Simons was the Director until the Election, but remains a major shareholder. What is this backbench MP’s influence over Labour Together – its ‘policy’ positions and the donations it makes?
The previous director was Morgan McSweeney.
He is now Head of Political Strategy in 10 Downing Street and reportedly battling Chief of Staff, Sue Gray. McSweeney’s time at Labour Together coincided with the organisation breaching electoral law, including by failing to declare over £700,000 of donations properly. Labour Together was subsequently fined by the Electoral Commission.
McSweeney’s Downing Street role is curious – he is a part-time Special Adviser. Presumably this means some of his salary is paid by the Labour Party. What is his link to Labour Together now?
The sense Labour Together is something of a Party within a Party was exacerbated in late August.
On the day of Keir Starmer’s Rose Garden speech, Downing Street pointed the BBC’s World at One to Labour Together for interviews. Presenter, Sarah Montague, was clearly non plussed. She asked on air why there wasn’t a minister available to speak to a set piece Prime Ministerial speech and why ‘bids’ had been referred to Labour Together.
Ashworth claimed to be unaware of what had gone on. Does the Government think Labour Together can speak for the Government?
This article raises more questions than it answers.
But it underscores why scrutiny of Labour Together – and donors more generally – is important.
Overall, a lot of major donors have given to Labour in recent months. And some of this has only just been declared. There are large sums of ‘green’ money, as well as donations from Dale Vince, Public Digital, Lisbet Rausing, and others. Of course, all political parties rely on donations. And there are other organisations around which give money to candidates (although none operating in the way Labour Together does).
The new Labour Government gives every impression of resenting scrutiny. Even mild journalistic challenge is angrily brushed off. Parliamentary questions are dodged.But it’s vital that ministers and politicians in receipt of donations, take all possible steps to be transparent and to manage any conflicts of interest.
It’s seems that in some of the cases relating to Labour Together that has not happened
