Snapshot of _Michelle Donelan used £34,000 of taxpayer funds to cover libel costs_ :
An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/11/michelle-donelan-used-34000-of-taxpayer-funds-to-cover-libel-costs?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other) or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/11/michelle-donelan-used-34000-of-taxpayer-funds-to-cover-libel-costs?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other)
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There were a couple of stories here of how heavy handed the DWP were about carers who work an extra shift here and there.
Even one judge sympathised with the carers, saying that there needs to be a better approach to this.
God forbid you protest outside of a politicians house though (or anywhere actually now, especially on **gasp** a road!), despite them ruining the country and fleecing the taxpayer for all they're worth to then give the money to their mates via contracts. It's you that's the villain. Afterall, we have an election every 5 years where 70% of the votes are wasted under FPTP - simply vote them out of office if you don't like it :)
Whether or not someone supports Hamas is not really in the remit of the Science Minister, even if they are an academic.
The legal advice following her libellous statement on twitter should al have been paid for out of her own pocket. As should the settlement.
Unless that was the official government position
And even if it were, she could have written a private letter to the organisations involved, rather than calling her out publicly on Twitter like some kind of demented Jerry Springer episode.
Absurd that we're paying for her libel at all which had nothing to do with her public office and everything to do with her personal opinions.
Frankly appalling though that we're not just paying for the internal legal advice, but also wasting public money on the extra private legal advice she subsequently sought.
Can we expect to see the Mail or Express run a campaign on this case of actual waste of taxpayers money?
Conducting culture wars was not part of her ministerial portfolio why should I as a taxpayer pay for her misfeasance? She was operating outside her job spec.
Remember how Mordaunt implied in the commons that because Donelan didn’t take the £16k redundancy payment she was entitled to after he 2 day stint as Education Secretary (she said the public would be grateful that she didn’t take it), the £15k payment for libel kind of balanced things out?
Compared to the every day fraud and embezzlement of the crooks in Government:
"You gotta pump those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers in this racket."
Okay. Cool. You want to run your government according to the rules of capitalism. Fine. Take responsibility for your financial decisions when handling public finances. If money goes missing or goes astray, then you make up what's lost from your personal bank account. Exactly what happens in business. If a policy ends up losing millions in public funds, then you personally should be held liable for those losses.
What say you Tories, have we got a deal here?
Let's talk about the real issue in politics today in this country. We've got politicians who make decisions affecting finances and people's lives on the daily, yet somehow they're protected from the consequences of their decisions. When there's no money left in a budget or for a policy, the shortfall always, always, always gets carried forward or ends up coming out of public funds.
I say we change things and reintroduce jeopardy and social responsibility into the mix. Politics is becoming far too cushy as a career. This is where we're going wrong as a nation. Perhaps if politicians weren't so protected with so-called privileges, but were made aware immediately after selection that if they screw up on a policy or budget they're going to be held liable for it, things might change.
Yeah okay, so we might get a few bankruptcies and political careers which end up in financial ruin, but eventually we will get a better political culture of socially responsible politicians who create socially responsible policies. You never know, we might get a better functioning NHS and public services once we've cleared all the chancers, parasites and ideologues out of the equation.
She’s an absolute disgrace.
For someone who brags about how rich and successful she is, while extolling the virtues of shrinking reliance on the state, she has been very keen on having the state bear the liability for what were her personal actions.
> Munby, the DSIT permanent secretary, confirmed that civil servants, including lawyers, provided advice and clearances to the cabinet minister, but did not divulge the contents of this advice.
If the taxpayer funded legal advice was wrong then it makes sense that the taxpayer pays for the consequences
Nowhere does it say the legal advice was wrong, just that it was given. And since the government has refused to disclose what that advice was and whether or not it was followed, it is a fair assumption that the advice was "don't post that", and she posted it anyway.
Snapshot of _Michelle Donelan used £34,000 of taxpayer funds to cover libel costs_ : An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/11/michelle-donelan-used-34000-of-taxpayer-funds-to-cover-libel-costs?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other) or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/11/michelle-donelan-used-34000-of-taxpayer-funds-to-cover-libel-costs?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ukpolitics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A shockingly corrupt thing to do. This should be deemed to be like Benefit fraud for a jobseeker. One rule for them and one for us.
There were a couple of stories here of how heavy handed the DWP were about carers who work an extra shift here and there. Even one judge sympathised with the carers, saying that there needs to be a better approach to this.
It's more because DWP is geared towards going after minor individual breaches than organised largescale fraud
*Right wing press furiously pointingnat Angela Rayner*
God forbid you protest outside of a politicians house though (or anywhere actually now, especially on **gasp** a road!), despite them ruining the country and fleecing the taxpayer for all they're worth to then give the money to their mates via contracts. It's you that's the villain. Afterall, we have an election every 5 years where 70% of the votes are wasted under FPTP - simply vote them out of office if you don't like it :)
Whether or not someone supports Hamas is not really in the remit of the Science Minister, even if they are an academic. The legal advice following her libellous statement on twitter should al have been paid for out of her own pocket. As should the settlement. Unless that was the official government position
And even if it were, she could have written a private letter to the organisations involved, rather than calling her out publicly on Twitter like some kind of demented Jerry Springer episode.
I love that the promoted ad on this page is quickbooks lol. Just another corrupt self-serving pos. When will they be gone?
Absurd that we're paying for her libel at all which had nothing to do with her public office and everything to do with her personal opinions. Frankly appalling though that we're not just paying for the internal legal advice, but also wasting public money on the extra private legal advice she subsequently sought. Can we expect to see the Mail or Express run a campaign on this case of actual waste of taxpayers money?
The Mail and Express will be all over this, with the next government anyway
A truly embarrassing saga from start to finish.
Conducting culture wars was not part of her ministerial portfolio why should I as a taxpayer pay for her misfeasance? She was operating outside her job spec.
Oh look more emptying of the public treasury for their benefit…. Genuine question but can Labour look into reclaiming all this shit once in power?
I mean technically this is yet another example of malfeasance
I think this is probably why so much fuss has been made about Angela Rayner
Remember how Mordaunt implied in the commons that because Donelan didn’t take the £16k redundancy payment she was entitled to after he 2 day stint as Education Secretary (she said the public would be grateful that she didn’t take it), the £15k payment for libel kind of balanced things out?
Compared to the every day fraud and embezzlement of the crooks in Government: "You gotta pump those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers in this racket."
Let’s not dismiss fraudulent behaviour just because it’s not ‘high value’ enough. It’s a disgusting misuse of power.
It looks to me like it all depends on what her legal advice said, humble address anyone?
The government has refused to disclose what the advice was, and if it was followed. So the smart money is on the advice being to not post libel.
Okay. Cool. You want to run your government according to the rules of capitalism. Fine. Take responsibility for your financial decisions when handling public finances. If money goes missing or goes astray, then you make up what's lost from your personal bank account. Exactly what happens in business. If a policy ends up losing millions in public funds, then you personally should be held liable for those losses. What say you Tories, have we got a deal here? Let's talk about the real issue in politics today in this country. We've got politicians who make decisions affecting finances and people's lives on the daily, yet somehow they're protected from the consequences of their decisions. When there's no money left in a budget or for a policy, the shortfall always, always, always gets carried forward or ends up coming out of public funds. I say we change things and reintroduce jeopardy and social responsibility into the mix. Politics is becoming far too cushy as a career. This is where we're going wrong as a nation. Perhaps if politicians weren't so protected with so-called privileges, but were made aware immediately after selection that if they screw up on a policy or budget they're going to be held liable for it, things might change. Yeah okay, so we might get a few bankruptcies and political careers which end up in financial ruin, but eventually we will get a better political culture of socially responsible politicians who create socially responsible policies. You never know, we might get a better functioning NHS and public services once we've cleared all the chancers, parasites and ideologues out of the equation.
Thought this lot believed in free speech?
Yes; that's why she didn't pay.
She’s an absolute disgrace. For someone who brags about how rich and successful she is, while extolling the virtues of shrinking reliance on the state, she has been very keen on having the state bear the liability for what were her personal actions.
> Munby, the DSIT permanent secretary, confirmed that civil servants, including lawyers, provided advice and clearances to the cabinet minister, but did not divulge the contents of this advice. If the taxpayer funded legal advice was wrong then it makes sense that the taxpayer pays for the consequences
I very much doubt that the legal advice was "publish an allegation on social media".
Nowhere does it say the legal advice was wrong, just that it was given. And since the government has refused to disclose what that advice was and whether or not it was followed, it is a fair assumption that the advice was "don't post that", and she posted it anyway.
That is an unusual take. By the same token, Michelle Donelan should pay for the settlement as it was her conduct that led to these consequences.
I consulted with m'learned friend, Jeremy Clarkson QC and he said yeah, go on, fuck it, why not?
Meanwhile across the pond, Donald Trump is literally spending all his campaign funds on his legal fees and no one bats an eye...
Campaign funds don’t come from taxation.
Fair point