SHAMELESS!
Corbyn’s new defence chief got £48k from lawyers hounding our troops – but claims she has ‘no idea’ what they’re up to
Lawyers who accused our troops of Iraq abuse could be struck off From yesterday’s Daily Mail
MILITARY chiefs, war veterans and politicians last night condemned Labour’s new defence spokesman for taking almost £50,000 from a controversial law firm accused of hounding British soldiers for compensation.
Emily Thornberry accepted the donation-in-kind from Leigh Day and Co, which is behind hundreds of legal claims against British troops and the Ministry of Defence.
Its lawyers are facing a disciplinary tribunal over false claims British soldiers were involved in torture and murder in Iraq, which prompted the £31million Al-Sweady inquiry.
Last night Miss Thornberry insisted she had ‘no idea’ about the allegations against Leigh Day, and said it was an ‘outstanding firm’. In the Commons yesterday, a Tory MP used Parliamentary privilege to brand Leigh Day ‘immoral, thieving, ambulance-chasing’ lawyers and criticised Miss Thornberry for her links to the firm. Backbencher Stewart Jackson said Leigh Day and another firm chasing military compensation claims, Birmingham-based Public Interest Lawyers, ‘specialise in hounding our brave service personnel with spurious claims’.
But in an interview with the British Forces Broadcasting Services, Miss Thornberry said: ‘I have no idea what has happened or what these allegations are. I understand that they are currently before a solicitors’ disciplinary tribunal or something.’ She added: ‘It is not for lawyers to decide [if their clients are telling the truth], it is for the courts to decide.’
Campaigners have also condemned her appointment because she is a known opponent of the Trident nuclear deterrent, in common with hard-Left Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
It comes barely a year after the Islington South MP, who lives in a £3million house in the area, was forced to resign from Ed Miliband’s shadow cabinet for a ‘sneering’ post on Twitter showing a house in Rochester flying England flags with a white van parked outside. The register of members’ interests shows Miss Thornberry received donations from Leigh Day totalling £48,125 between 2012 and 2014.
It paid for a ‘legal research assistant’ to work in her office for six months in each of the years while she was shadow attorney general. Last night Kevan Jones, who resigned as shadow defence minister yesterday, said she should hand back the money.
Yesterday it emerged Leigh Day’s solicitors could be struck off over alleged dodgy practices relating to the Al-Sweady inquiry. A tribunal will examine evidence that they shredded a key document which appeared to show their Iraqi clients were armed insurgents, not innocent farmers.
The inquiry ultimately concluded that the allegations of murder were ‘wholly without foundation’.
Miss Thornberry’s appointment sparked outrage from senior military figures, and veterans’ families called for her to be sacked.
Lord Dannatt, former head of the Army, said he found the appointment ‘extremely alarming’, adding: ‘It is an extraordinary appointment, indicative of a meltdown within the Labour Party.’
A spokesman for UK Veterans One Voice, which is campaigning for an end to the prosecution of soldiers, said: ‘Her views on Trident and her questionable associations make her unsuitable to have access to the nation’s most important defence secrets. It is a slap in the face to Britain’s Armed Forces.’
Former Corporal Barry Dickens, 66, said: ‘How can the Labour Party appoint someone as Shadow Defence Secretary when she is in with the law firm which is taking soldiers to court?’
Responding to Mr Jackson in the Commons yesterday, David Cameron said Leigh Day had ‘questions to answer’ about Al-Sweady, ‘where a lot of claims completely fell apart and there was … evidence that could have shown that those claims were false.’ He told MPs: ‘It is instructive that we have lost a shadow Defence Secretary who believed in strong defence and our nuclear deterrent [Maria Eagle], and instead we have someone who apparently takes funds from Leigh Day.’
Mr Corbyn appointed close ally Miss Thornberry at midnight on Tuesday night as part of his shambolic reshuffle. On her suitability for the role, Miss Thornberry said she had ‘actually quite a lot more experience than people might think I do’.
She said she had a member of her family ‘who is in the armed forces’ . Miss Thornberry, who is married to high court judge Sir Christopher Nugee, pointed out her brother-inlaw is Major General Richard Nugee, the defence services secretary.
Last night the BBC reported that ‘friends’ of Miss Thornberry described questions about the donations as ‘desperate smears’.
A Leigh Day spokesman described Mr Jackson’s comments as ‘a blatantly ridiculous statement about us.’ The firm has said the decision to refer their case to tribunal is ‘premature’ and denied all the allegations made against its lawyers.
Public Interest Lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.
A senior Labour spokesman said of the donation: ‘I don’t think it’s relevant. Emily has been appointed because she is a capable person.’
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