Look at this: Lord Walney is sacked from his ‘extremism’ role – and accusations start flying.
Walney – originally the former Labour MP John Woodcock before he was ennobled by Tory Boris Johnson (and isn’t that suspicious in itself?) – had been the government’s “independent” advisor on political violence since 2019.
On the face of it, his sacking is because his role will become part of the remit of the commissioner for countering extremism – currently Robin Simcox, whose three-year term in the role ends in July when a new commissioner will be appointed.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
But some have suggested that he may have been removed amid claims that he has used his role to jail political opponents of the oil and arms industries he represents. The Canary states:
Since his May 2024 report, which called for members of Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action to be treated as organised criminals, more than 50 have been imprisoned, some for up to five years.
[The report] also suggested that jury acquittals in the trials of such cases were a problem that needed to be addressed.
The outcome of the Court of Appeal hearing into 16 members of Just Stop Oil, jailed for a combined 41 years in the months following Walney’s report last May, is expected within weeks.
The article flags up his links to arms and fossil fuel corporations, with paid positions as:
- Chair of the Purpose Defence Coalition, members of which include Leonardo, one of the world’s largest arms manufacturers, with “extensive links” to Israel’s military.
- Adviser to lobbyist Rud Pederson, clients of which include the oil and gas giant, Glencore.
- Adviser to the Purpose Business Coalition, members of which include fossil fuel giant BP.
It adds that the terms of Walney’s appointment as the independent advisor required him to disclose any conflicts of interest with his other appointments directly to the Home Office, but it is not known whether he actually did so.
So the reasons for his departure may not be as clear as we’re being led to believe – certainly by the government and the BBC.
And whatever happened about that sexual harassment accusation from 2017, that caused him to leave the Labour Party under a cloud? Wouldn’t that have made it hard for him to work for a Labour government – or for Labour to have continued employing him?
It seems to This Writer that we don’t know enough about what has really been going on here.
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Lord Walney is sacked from his ‘extremism’ role – and accusations start flying
Look at this: Lord Walney is sacked from his ‘extremism’ role – and accusations start flying.
Walney – originally the former Labour MP John Woodcock before he was ennobled by Tory Boris Johnson (and isn’t that suspicious in itself?) – had been the government’s “independent” advisor on political violence since 2019.
On the face of it, his sacking is because his role will become part of the remit of the commissioner for countering extremism – currently Robin Simcox, whose three-year term in the role ends in July when a new commissioner will be appointed.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
But some have suggested that he may have been removed amid claims that he has used his role to jail political opponents of the oil and arms industries he represents. The Canary states:
The article flags up his links to arms and fossil fuel corporations, with paid positions as:
It adds that the terms of Walney’s appointment as the independent advisor required him to disclose any conflicts of interest with his other appointments directly to the Home Office, but it is not known whether he actually did so.
So the reasons for his departure may not be as clear as we’re being led to believe – certainly by the government and the BBC.
And whatever happened about that sexual harassment accusation from 2017, that caused him to leave the Labour Party under a cloud? Wouldn’t that have made it hard for him to work for a Labour government – or for Labour to have continued employing him?
It seems to This Writer that we don’t know enough about what has really been going on here.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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