GB News presenter Dawn Neesom launched a fiery line of questioning at Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden today, over allegations surrounding Labour’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
The tense exchange saw Dawn press Mr McFadden on what she described as a “never-ending pattern of controversies” dogging the Labour Government, challenging him on whether ministers were taking responsibility for the party’s ongoing scandals.
The controversy centres on Mr McSweeney's former role at Labour Together, a think tank that supported Keir Starmer's leadership bid.
The Electoral Commission imposed a £14,250 penalty on the organisation in 2021 following an investigation into unreported contributions totalling nearly £740,000.
Dawn pressed Mr McFadden on what she described as a 'never-ending pattern of controversies'
|GB NEWS
These donations went undeclared during Mr McSweeney's tenure at the helm of the organisation.
Speaking on GB News, Mr McFadden said: “Well, I don’t write the Daily Mail’s headlines, and they’re probably quite glad that I don’t. They choose what they want to publish, and I’m just saying that they’re not exactly good headlines to be looking at.
“If I got up every morning hoping for a supportive headline for the Labour Party from the Daily Mail, my prayers would probably go unanswered. So it’s not surprising.
“But Morgan is a highly effective guy. I worked with him closely he was a big part of Labour’s election victory, and the party has a lot to be thankful to him for.”
Dawn said: “You’re saying this is a Daily Mail witch hunt?”
“But it’s not the first scandal Labour has faced. We’ve had Peter Mandelson recently, Angela Rayner, the list goes on.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
“Pretty much every month seems to bring another Labour scandal or, some would say, sleaze. It’s not a great look after 14 months.”
He said: “I think the most important thing is how you respond to these issues.
“The Prime Minister has shown that where there is wrongdoing, he’s not afraid to ask someone to leave and enforce the rules and standards.
“That doesn’t mean every time someone is written about, they should automatically go, it has to be proper wrongdoing.”
“But the Prime Minister has demonstrated that when there is genuine wrongdoing, he’s prepared to act.
Mr McSweeney is facing growing pressure over his substantial donations to the Labour Together campaign group | PA“In fact, one of the first things he did when we came into Government last year was strengthen the powers of the independent adviser on ministerial interests.”
Conservative MPs have released legal emails from 2021 showing Labour’s lawyer advising Mr McSweeney on how to respond to the Electoral Commission.
The correspondence urged transparency but also suggested blaming “administrative errors” if full explanations couldn’t be provided.
Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake has called for a formal investigation into Mr McSweeney, claiming the leaked correspondence demonstrates potential deception of authorities regarding substantial sums used to secure Mr Starmer's Labour leadership.
More From GB News