It’s a tough gig politics. One minute you’re leader of HM Loyal Opposition, the next you’re an independent backbencher likely to lose your seat come polling day. For Jeremy Corbyn, the witless, whip-less Member for Islington North, it’s been a tough few years. He lost the election in December 2019, lost the Labour leadership in April 2020 and then lost the party whip in October 2020 after claiming that antisemitism in the party had been overstated for political reasons.
Luckily for Corbyn though, one group has come to his aid in these tough times. After having the whip withdrawn, backers of the ex-leader set up a company to fund his defence in legal battles connected with the antisemitism furore. Donations to the ‘JBC Defence Limited’ have already paid off eye-watering lawyers’ fees of around £100,000 which Corbyn ran up as he prepared to fight a libel action — even though the case was eventually settled out of court.
And today it can be revealed – thanks to the Sky News/Tortoise Media ‘Westminster Accounts’ project – that Corbyn has officially declared more than £191,000 in gifts and benefits from JBC Defence Limited in his register of members’ interests. That makes it the sixth biggest donor to MPs (as opposed to party donations). Only Unite, GMB, Peter Hearn’s company MPM Connect, the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP) gave more to individual MPS – and unlike them, JBC just donates to only one MP.
For the few, not the many, eh Jezza?
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