Labour's Corruption in Southampton and Westminster - Andrew Pope's Statement

 

Redbridge ward anti-corruption candidate Andrew Pope, who is a member of the Independent Network and is Co-Founder of Southampton Independents, issues a Statement today on yesterday's vote at Parliament on referring Keir Starmer to the Privileges Committee: 

 

Andrew Pope when Independent Councillor 
Photo: Southampton Independents (CT)

"Yesterday, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer forced his MPs to defend his corruption when appointing Jeffrey Epstein's friend Peter Mandelson as UK Ambassador to the United States of America.

Labour forced a 'three-line whip' onto its MPs, which means that if you defy the instruction, there will be consequences which could include expulsion. 

And like the party puppets they are, the two Southampton MPs Satvir Kaur and Darren Paffey went along with it. 

Both Kaur and Paffey voted against a Parliamentary inquiry by the Privileges Committee into Starmer. You can see the evidence from the BBC website below. 

 

Satvir Kaur MP Southampton Test MP Voted Against Investigating Her Boss Keir Starmer
Image: BBC

Darren Paffey Southampton Itchen MP Voted Against Investigating His Boss Keir Starmer
Image: BBC

 

EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT STARMER IS GUILTY OF CORRUPTION AND OF POOR JUDGEMENT, AND THAT HE IS VERY UNPOPULAR AND SHOULD RESIGN OR BE FORCED OUT BY LABOUR! 

Yet the Southampton Labour MPs still defend him. Why? Is it because their political careers depend on it? Yes it is. They put themselves and their careers ahead of principles.

While we focus on local action, as independents, we have to call this out as Southampton MPs being corrupt. They are now complicit in corruption at Westminster, as Satvir Kaur and Southampton Labour have been complicit in corruption here in Southampton by taking £10,000 from a convicted criminal who had been expelled from Labour two years before. And not providing any evidence they paid it back, although we asked them.

And we have to call this out because as independents, Southampton Independents as members of the Independent Network subscribe to the Martin Bell principles.

Martin Bell was a BBC journalist who was elected as an Independent MP when he stood for Parliament as an anti-corruption candidate, and beat the corrupt Tory Neil Hamilton who was found guilty of cash-for-questions in Parliament.

 

Independent Network Emblem

 

 

The Independent Network works under the same Bell principles, so we are best placed to call out Labour's corruption.

I am standing as the anti-corruption candidate in Redbridge ward on Southampton City Council.

I have already uncovered corruption by Labour here in Southampton, and will continue to do so.

If elected, I will have more powers to uncover corruption and hold Labour to account."

 

 

EXCLUSIVE MP WATCH: Both Southampton Labour MPs Kaur and Paffey Voted to Whack Southampton Businesses with Higher Taxes

 

Satvir Kaur when Leader of the Council
Photo: Southampton Independents

You may not have realised it from the lack of coverage of the Labour MPs actions by local media, but both Darren Paffey (Southampton Itchen - East of the City) and Satvir Kaur (Southampton Test - West of the City) voted to increase taxes in the form of national insurance contributions (NICs) for employers. 

 

Councillor Darren Paffey when Deputy Leader of the Council
Photo: Southampton City Council

 

Southampton Independents is watching, and holding the MPs to account.  Satvir Kaur is now a Junior Minister in Keir Starmer's struggling Government. More on that below.

Critics of the NICs hikes have said:

"With employers shouldering more of the national insurance burden, the worry is they could simply pass these costs on to their employees.

“With a higher cost per head, we could also see some employers choosing to reduce other benefits such as wage increases or even pension contribution matching.”

This includes local businesses who have criticised the Labour Government's decision.

If you remember, Keir Starmer stood on a pledge to not increase taxes on "working people", without being clear on what that meant.

 

How Can Someone With This Finance Track Record Join the Government?

Kaur was Leader of the Council at the same time as Paffey was her Deputy Leader. She had previously not been able to answer questions from Independent Councillor Andrew Pope on the financing of the Arts Complex, during Full Council Questions to the Executive. The Chair of the meeting, the Mayor Labour Councillor Stephen Barnes-Andrews, prevented Cllr Pope from asking more questions of Kaur. The Mayor had abused his position for party-political purposes.

Kaur led the Council to its financial knees and was urged to resign. She also denied at the time that the Council was bankrupt when she was Leader. And she claimed that she was being "open and honest" about the Budget for that year - implying that her predecessors, including Steve Leggett and before him Simon Letts, had not been honest in previous years.

She also said that the Council would not need government assistance. 

Kaur was also Leader in response to a dire financial report to the Council, according to the BBC:

"Last week the council warned the government it may run out of money this year.

The move came as a report revealed the council had relied on reserves to meet gaps in its budget in recent years.

Labour leader Satvir Kaur previously said the problem had been created by the government's handling of the economy."

and

"Ms Kaur blamed the Conservatives for "the economic disaster" she said every "household in Southampton and councils across the country are experiencing right now".

She previously said the authority had a "robust recovery plan" and would not need government funds."

It turned out that it needed a lot of government assistance, when Simon Letts took over the finances, with Lorna Fielker as Leader. Kaur had left a real mess.

Satvir Kaur is now a Junior Minister in Keir Starmer's Government (yes. really). She has mentioned a "robust recovery plan" again - this time in relation to the disastrous civil service pension scheme that has been given to Capita. One hopes civil servants won't be subjected to the same level of disaster of the Council's finances in Kaur's hands, although it beggars belief that Capita have taken over the pensions. Capita were removed from handling Southampton City Council work.

And now, she claims the council was pushed to the "brink". Paffey and Kaur have "welcomed" a "council funding boost", without commenting on the remaining crisis at the Council.

 

Satvir Kaur's Revisionism and Careerism

So it seems if she is to be believed, that the Council was on the brink, as long as Kaur was out of the picture and according to her, not responsible for it. Yet she was responsible, the buck stopped with her as Leader.

Paffey and Kaur also this week voted with their Labour MP colleagues, and against amendments from the House of Lords for the NIC hikes.

Who knows how the decision was made to add her to Starmer's Government?

How did Kaur get there? 

Let's not forget that Satvir Kaur had convicted violent criminal and expelled Labour Party Member Shere Sattar's £10,000 in her register of interests. Southampton Labour accepted his money, and only paid it back when they got found out.

How many other dodgy connections does Satvir Kaur have?

Have a look around our website for more. There's more about Kaur.

** Please note that the other Southampton MP for Romsey and Southampton North is a Deputy Speaker so is not able to vote on this NICs Bill.