Nigel Farage's decision to resign as MP for Clacton and trigger a byelection has been met with a boycott from major parties including Conservatives, Labour, and Lib Dems, who accuse him of diverting attention from a gifts scandal. The move is seen as an attempt to avoid scrutiny over undeclared gifts from a crypto billionaire and a convicted fraudster.
Green leader said he hosted fundraisers for the Red Cross but accepts he should not have described himself as a spokesperson for itGood morning. Zack Polanski was largely unknown until he became the Green party leader in September last year and since then, as his party has soared in the polls, there has been intense scrutiny of his pre-politics career. The best-known embarrassing revelation about his past is the fact that he once told a woman he could enlarge her breasts if she listened to his hypnotherapy spiel. Nigel Farage, who also leads a dispruption party enjoying spectacular success, has scandals in his past too, and Polanski’s allies would argue that they are worse. Farage took a £5m donation from a political supporter which he did not declare, he still has not provided as good explanation as to how his partner was able to afford to buy a home in Farage’s Clacton constituency and arguably he told 30 million women that he could enlarge the size of their bank balances if they listened to his spiel on Brexit. Guardian readers can decide for themselves who is more dodgy.But, as we tell our children, life isn’t fair. And it certainly isn’t fair for leftwing politicians campaigning in an environment where the rightwing media have considerable influence. Polanski discovered that again last night when the Times printed a story with various claims about him, of which the main one related to an allegation about his embellishing his CV. Here is our version by Jessica Elgot.I hosted various fundraisers for the British Red Cross, and indeed I would go on stage and speak for them about the amazing work they do tackling humanitarian crises, on the climate crisis and indeed for refugees all around the world.I used the wrong word and I accept that.It feels some of these stories feel like scraping the barrel to go back 10, 15 years.I’ve had so many friends – I’m literally talking maybe 20 or 30 in the last few weeks – who have phoned me and said a Times journalist has been phoning and they’ve been desperately trying to find things about your past. They asked me lots of questions and seem disappointed that I didn’t have some juicy, dirty gossip. Continue reading...
Labour housing secretary Steve Reed has accused the Greens of failing to vet candidates properly and welcoming former Labour members expelled for antisemitic views. Speaking ahead of local elections on 7 May, Reed also attacked Reform UK leader Nigel Farage for failing to attend any of the 10-plus meetings of a local board deciding how to spend a £20m government grant in Clacton. The attacks come as polls show Greens potentially outperforming Labour, with both parties expected to make significant gains in English council elections and Scottish and Welsh parliaments.
