Christ they’re going to be shocked when they hear about some of the people that donate to the Tories
What a pathetic attempt at distraction from the Tory shitshow, no doubt this scandal attempt was paid for by the Tories
I mean if they’ve done wrong then clearly they deserve to be investigated and punished but you do have to seriously question the timing of going after on of the biggest unions
> Initial estimates in 2012 suggested the project, which is now complete, would cost around £7m. The final bill is in excess of £100m.
Blimey, that’s some cost creep.
Please bear in mind the word ‘potential’ here – something may have happened, there will be a police investigation but before jumping to the ‘DODGY RED LEN WAS CORRUPT’ line, just wait for the investigation.
Also bear in mind the reporting around this will try and use it as a larger attack line on the Unions in general and the reporting around it is inaccurate.
For example, the £7m quoted as the initial cost is something that appears to have been plucked from thin air – even in the planning permission application quoted the cost as £35m in 2015.
It suddenly looks a lot less suspect if you see £35m in costs going up (especially given what happened between 2015-2020) when compared to other construction costs also ballooning massively in the same period (like HS2 which near tripled in cost in the same period).
I’m so torn… One party’s donors just started the largest war Europe has seen in a generation and are kidnapping babies en mass, while the other
***Checks notes***
>found evidence of “eye-watering” overcharging on large contracts.
They’re clearly both the same /s
The slant on this is pure anti-Union bias. The “independent” reports were initiated by the *union* themselves because the new chief wanted to ensure everything was above board after Len McKlusky was removed. The press are spinning this as some huge gotcha but they can’t be honest about the origin of the reports because that blows their story apart.
The new general secretary Graham commissioned the investigation into the costs of the Birmingham hotel:
> Soon after taking over from Len McCluskey in 2021, Ms Graham commissioned Martin Bowdery KC to investigate her union’s vastly over-budget Birmingham hotel and conference centre development.
And then expanded the investigations:
> Ms Graham separately instructed accountancy firm Grant Thornton to launch an “external forensic investigation” into Unite’s affiliated service providers.
They reported the findings to the police so that the involved parties can be prosecuted. Kudos to them for going public instead of trying to sweep the problem under the rug.
Also, I don’t understand what Labour has to do with any of this. They have no control over the union nor any donations were made with money obtained through fraudulent means.
oh my god its almost like Labour and Conservatives are as bad as each other. Who would’ve thought?
It’s not this story people should be annoyed by, corruption within unions is something the left should absolutely be pursuing and fighting against. It’s the slew of people who will now crawl out of the woodwork trying to portray this as in any way the equivalent of the current spate of corruption scandals within the Conservative party itself that you should be arguing against. Both sides are absolutely not the same and criminality within a donor that there is no indication Labour knew or should have known anything about is absolutely not the same as corruption running rife within the Tories themselves.
Ah, Sky, nice choice in headline. Couldn’t mention it was the Unite Union?
if anybody knows of eyewatering overcharging, it would be the lawyers and the accountants
Of course…the sub wants to make it all about the Tories instead or just flat out ignore it because it isn’t the Tories, 70% upvoted….it would be 94%+ if it was an article on the Tories.
They should 100% be investigated and dealt with if the criminality is proven.
Donating money to politicians needs to be criminalised full stop.
All political donations should be limited and made public.
Oh perfectly timed, can’t wait to hear about how terrible immigrants are next week when people start dying because they can’t put the heating on.
Still better than being funded by Russians like the tories Mike. You can’t see the forest through the concrete trees mate.
In fairness I think there’s this kind of dodgy dealings on all sides of the house. I believe a new party needs to emerge for the common man. I would hope it’s the reform party. The House of Commons is immersed in skullduggery. A blight on their houses
I don’t think anything to do with the Labour Party should be investigated until we’ve investigated every dodgy dealing in the Tory party.
Also, if you agree with that statement, you’re part of the problem.
As long as guys like Len and Howard Beckett get done by the police it’s all good
20 comments
Christ they’re going to be shocked when they hear about some of the people that donate to the Tories
What a pathetic attempt at distraction from the Tory shitshow, no doubt this scandal attempt was paid for by the Tories
I mean if they’ve done wrong then clearly they deserve to be investigated and punished but you do have to seriously question the timing of going after on of the biggest unions
> Initial estimates in 2012 suggested the project, which is now complete, would cost around £7m. The final bill is in excess of £100m.
Blimey, that’s some cost creep.
Please bear in mind the word ‘potential’ here – something may have happened, there will be a police investigation but before jumping to the ‘DODGY RED LEN WAS CORRUPT’ line, just wait for the investigation.
Also bear in mind the reporting around this will try and use it as a larger attack line on the Unions in general and the reporting around it is inaccurate.
For example, the £7m quoted as the initial cost is something that appears to have been plucked from thin air – even in the planning permission application quoted the cost as £35m in 2015.
It suddenly looks a lot less suspect if you see £35m in costs going up (especially given what happened between 2015-2020) when compared to other construction costs also ballooning massively in the same period (like HS2 which near tripled in cost in the same period).
I’m so torn… One party’s donors just started the largest war Europe has seen in a generation and are kidnapping babies en mass, while the other
***Checks notes***
>found evidence of “eye-watering” overcharging on large contracts.
They’re clearly both the same /s
The slant on this is pure anti-Union bias. The “independent” reports were initiated by the *union* themselves because the new chief wanted to ensure everything was above board after Len McKlusky was removed. The press are spinning this as some huge gotcha but they can’t be honest about the origin of the reports because that blows their story apart.
The new general secretary Graham commissioned the investigation into the costs of the Birmingham hotel:
> Soon after taking over from Len McCluskey in 2021, Ms Graham commissioned Martin Bowdery KC to investigate her union’s vastly over-budget Birmingham hotel and conference centre development.
And then expanded the investigations:
> Ms Graham separately instructed accountancy firm Grant Thornton to launch an “external forensic investigation” into Unite’s affiliated service providers.
They reported the findings to the police so that the involved parties can be prosecuted. Kudos to them for going public instead of trying to sweep the problem under the rug.
Also, I don’t understand what Labour has to do with any of this. They have no control over the union nor any donations were made with money obtained through fraudulent means.
oh my god its almost like Labour and Conservatives are as bad as each other. Who would’ve thought?
It’s not this story people should be annoyed by, corruption within unions is something the left should absolutely be pursuing and fighting against. It’s the slew of people who will now crawl out of the woodwork trying to portray this as in any way the equivalent of the current spate of corruption scandals within the Conservative party itself that you should be arguing against. Both sides are absolutely not the same and criminality within a donor that there is no indication Labour knew or should have known anything about is absolutely not the same as corruption running rife within the Tories themselves.
Ah, Sky, nice choice in headline. Couldn’t mention it was the Unite Union?
if anybody knows of eyewatering overcharging, it would be the lawyers and the accountants
Of course…the sub wants to make it all about the Tories instead or just flat out ignore it because it isn’t the Tories, 70% upvoted….it would be 94%+ if it was an article on the Tories.
They should 100% be investigated and dealt with if the criminality is proven.
Donating money to politicians needs to be criminalised full stop.
All political donations should be limited and made public.
Oh perfectly timed, can’t wait to hear about how terrible immigrants are next week when people start dying because they can’t put the heating on.
Still better than being funded by Russians like the tories Mike. You can’t see the forest through the concrete trees mate.
In fairness I think there’s this kind of dodgy dealings on all sides of the house. I believe a new party needs to emerge for the common man. I would hope it’s the reform party. The House of Commons is immersed in skullduggery. A blight on their houses
I don’t think anything to do with the Labour Party should be investigated until we’ve investigated every dodgy dealing in the Tory party.
Also, if you agree with that statement, you’re part of the problem.
As long as guys like Len and Howard Beckett get done by the police it’s all good