Questions asked over Labour MP’s motives
LABOUR MP Chi Onwurah has defended claims she’s playing ‘populist politics’ in her criticism of how Newcastle United is operated.
The Newcastle Central MP has publicly sparred with Mike Ashley in the past. She once presented a petition to Parliament demanding he stop “exploiting” the club, and has called for more light to be shed on the club’s finances.
She’s waged war on profit-driven football club owners, a battle backed by party leader Jeremy Corbyn on a visit to Tyneside last week.
Appearing on the BBC’s Sunday Politics show this week, host Richard Moss questioned if she was “interfering with a private business”.
“It is a little bit of populist politics, isn’t it,” asked the presenter, questioning if there were bigger issues that needed addressing.
While accepting NUFC’s stewardship was “not the level of Brexit”, she defended her pursuit of seeking more transparency in how the club operates.
“Strong communities are the only way we build strong cities and strong economies,” she told Sunday’s show.
“It is also a really important part of working class culture – working class culture does not get enough support, I’d say, from the Government.
“For me this is not about populism. It is something I’ve been looking at and campaigning on for years now and I know that Jeremy has felt very strongly about it as well.
“This is about giving our communities a say in what is one of their most important assets.”
The Sports Direct tycoon defended himself last year in a letter to the Government.
“As owner of Newcastle United, I have provided the club with interest-free loans, the outstanding balance of which as at today’s date is £144m, whilst I also cleared all of its third-party debts, which stood at £76m in 2006/07 and incurred finance costs of £6.5m that existed when I purchased the club,” he wrote in 2018.