Allegations against candidate labelled ‘scurrilous’ by MP

Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership campaign has said it is “scurrilous” to suggest they breached data rules, after Labour reported allegations to the information commissioner.

Labour has handed accusations of the shadow Brexit secretary’s team hacking into the party’s membership database to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Sir Keir is seen as the frontrunner to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, but the allegation threatens to damage his prospects and drag the contest into bitter recriminations.

His campaign vice-chairman, Labour

MP David Lammy, said yesterday there is “no substance at all” to the allegations.

“It didn’t happen. There was no data-scraping. I can say categorically that this did not happen and it’s denied fundamentally,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“There was no attempt by the campaign to do this – it’s scurrilous to suggest so and I’m quite sure that the information commissioner will find the allegations completely untrue.”

The allegation surfaced after Sir Keir’s campaign raised concerns about the data use of rival candidate, MP Rebecca Long-bailey.

Candidate Sir Keir Starmer.