Anti-Corbyn Labour MP offers to commit electoral offence in return for a vote against him

Last Updated: July 21, 2016By
Right-wing Labour MP Jess Phillips [Image: BBC].

Right-wing Labour MP Jess Phillips [Image: BBC].

The offence is known as ‘treating’, and outspoken Labour right-winger Jess Phillips offered to commit it on Twitter on July 18.

The Electoral Commission defines ‘treating’ as follows:

“A person is guilty of treating if either before, during or after an election they directly or indirectly give or provide any food, drink, entertainment or provision to corruptly influence any voter to vote or refrain from voting. Treating requires a corrupt intent – it does not apply to ordinary hospitality.”

Giving or providing drink would clearly include the following, if the promise was carried out:

Jess Phillips's offending tweet. I've removed the name of the recipient of the offer.

Jess Phillips’s offending tweet. I’ve removed the name of the recipient of the offer.

Now, I know what some of you might want to say at this point: “It’s not serious, Mike!” “She was only offering – she wouldn’t have gone through with it!” Or other words to the effect that the remark was innocent.

Was it really?

And if we let her get away with it, will it continue to be innocent? Or will she go through with it?

Better to nip it in the bud. There will be a complaint to the NEC. Let’s see how seriously it is taken.

ADVERT




Join the Vox Political Facebook page.

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!

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:

Donate Button with Credit Cards

Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.

Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

HWG PrintHWG eBook

The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:

SWAHTprint SWAHTeBook

6 Comments

  1. Tim July 21, 2016 at 8:22 am - Reply

    Blimey, Mike! Now you’re getting silly. Have a word with yourself for goodness sake.

    • Mike Sivier July 21, 2016 at 10:58 am - Reply

      And why am I getting silly? Because you say so?
      Not a convincing argument.

      • Tim July 21, 2016 at 2:54 pm - Reply

        Oh, boy! Seriously? Insinuating that Jess Phillips is a criminal because she offered to buy somebody a drink if they voted in the way she suggested. I would love to see something like this taken to court, laughed out of court, egg the faces of the fools that it incensed and then quickly be forgotten. It’s like saying the woman was an outlaw because somebody she her walking on a lawn which had a “Keep off the grass” sign planted in it.

        • Mike Sivier July 21, 2016 at 3:50 pm - Reply

          I don’t have to insinuate that she’s a criminal. It’s an open and shut case.

  2. spirit July 21, 2016 at 9:09 am - Reply

    Blimey O’Reilly – she’s back! Did you happen to see her interview segment on C4 News on Tuesday? She’s been an MP for 14 months – how many of these sort of media appearances do you think she’s made in that time? How many attacks on Jeremy Corbyn and yet (see from .57 in the clip) she has the audacity to stress that “…the Labour Party is not a cult of personality…”. The interview is three-and-a-half minutes of utter, complete, laughable lack of self-awareness. It’s a shame; I think she could be effective but instead she ploughs ahead with her own vainglorious agenda. Here’s the clip: http://www.channel4.com/news/catch-up/display/playlistref/190716

  3. radicalpeter July 21, 2016 at 8:54 pm - Reply

    Unbelievable sick bitch needs her arse kicked right out of the labour party

Leave A Comment