Tag Archives: Michelle Donelan

Sophy Ridge Skewers Minister With 1 Gut-Punching Point About Ex-Tory MP’s Defection To Labour

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Sky News’ Sophy Ridge made a very good point when asking a government minister about Natalie Elphicke’s recent defection to Labour.

The ex-Tory MP dramatically crossed the floor yesterday and released a statement accusing Rishi Sunak of “failing to keep our borders safe”.

Elphicke was seen to be on the right of the Conservative Party and has repeatedly shared her hardline views about illegal immigration – while regularly criticising Labour’s own policies on immigration.

Last night, science secretary Michelle Donelan said her defection to Labour over immigration was therefore “completely and utterly nonsensical”.

“That’s the thing though isn’t it,” Ridge replied. “How bad does she think your plan is? She must think it’s really bad.”

“I don’t think that’s about our plan at all,” Donelan said.

Ridge replied: “Well it is, that’s what she said it’s about – that she doesn’t trust Rishi [Sunak] to deliver on illegal immigration.

“She doesn’t think Labour’s plan is great, but she thinks yours is even worse.”

The miniter said it was more about Elphicke’s judgement and that government’s plan was already getting illegal immigration down by a third.

The Sky News host said: “Sorry, illegal immigration is down by a third? What stats are those?”

When the minister explained she was talking about the boat crossings, Ridge cut across and said: “Currently, it’s at record levels.”

“Yeah but we haven’t finished the year – I meant annually,” Donelan replied.

“At this point in the year, it’s at record levels of small boat crossings. It’s not down by a third,” Ridge said.

The minister then blamed the figures on the delay in passing the Rwanda bill through parliament.

She also said the new act was already working as a deterrent as Ireland have been complaining that more refugees are arriving from the UK.

But Ridge replied: “I’m happy to say it’s a deterrent when we have evidence it’s a deterrent. Right now, it’s a deterrent for people already in the UK. Which I’m guessing, is not what you’re aiming for.”

Donelan continually tried to say the government has a “multi-prong strategy” but the Sky News host repeatedly reminded her: “It hasn’t worked!”

“Just having a plan isn’t enough,” Ridge reminded her.

Explaining how she empathises with Britons’ frustration over the issue, Donelan said: “I always view it as one of our values, fairness.

“It’s inherent in our values – we literally invented the queue.

“It’s downright unfair that illegal immigrants think they can bypass our systems and come here after having been in a safe country, and that’s what we are determined to stop.”

Actually, academics previously told The Times that is a “mistaken idea” that Brits invented the queue.

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Penny Mordaunt’s Attempt To Defend Under-Fire Michelle Donelan Has Left People Stunned

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Commons leader Mordaunt used a bizarre defence today as Donelan came under fire from MPs.

She praised her colleague for refusing to accept the redundancy payment she was entitled to in 2022 when she was education secretary for just two days during the downfall of Boris Johnson.

Mordaunt said: “When [Donelan] was entitled to redundancy payments from being secretary of state, which was £16,000, she did not take that and handed it back to the department because it was the right thing to do.

“I would just remind people of that. I think that speaks volumes about the honourable lady’s character and how much she values the fact that it is taxpayers’ money that we are talking about.”

Her comments drew criticism from X users.

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Taxpayers Forced To Pay Out £15,000 After Tory Minister Accused Academic Of Supporting Hamas

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The government has spent £15,000 of taxpayers’ money to cover the damages incurred by a cabinet minister’s inaccurate claim against a professor.

The science secretary, Michelle Donelan, wrongly accused Professor Kate Sang of expressing sympathy for the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, on X (formerly Twitter).

The professor then took out a libel action against the cabinet minister, which was settled with Donelan agreeing to pay damages – with the public purse picking up the bill.

It has now emerged that the payment was £15,000, which the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said was paid “without admitting any liability”.

“There is an established precedent under multiple administrations that ministers are provided with legal support and representation where matters relate to their conduct and responsibilities as a minister, as was the case here,” the department said in a statement.

“The Secretary of State received the appropriate advice from relevant officials at all times.

“A sum of £15,000 was paid without admitting any liability. This approach is intended to reduce the overall costs to the taxpayer that could result from protracted legal action, no matter what the result would have been.”

The government is yet to reveal the full legal costs of the incident, and Donelan is now facing calls to resign from the University and College Union.

The minister misinterpreted a social media post where Professor Sang posted a link to a Guardian article about the aftermath in the UK after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 last year.

At the time, Donelan also wrote to the UK Research and Innovation government agency (UKRI) suggesting Professor Sang and a second academic Dr Kamna Patel had shared extremist material.

Both faced a lengthy investigation by the UKRI.

Donelan retracted her accusations in a post on X on Tuesday afternoon this week.

She said: “I have never thought or claimed that Professor Sang, or any member of the Board, committed a criminal offence.

“I fully accept that she is not an extremist, a supporter of Hamas or any other proscribed organisation and I note that an independent investigation has concluded that there is no evidence that she is. I have deleted my original post to my X account.”

Professor Sang’s legal representative confirmed this week that Donelan has now withdrawn her false allegations and agreed to pay damages and costs to the academic.

The academic herself said the cabinet minister “made a cheap political point at my expense and caused serious damage to my reputation”, adding: “I propose to donate part of the damages she has paid to a charity.”

The Liberal Democrats also suggested Donelan’s salary – £159,38 year, including her £86,584 MP pay – should be docked.

The party said that amount of money could have funded 5,928 free school meals or 357 GP appointments.

Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle said: “It is outrageous that £15,000 of taxpayers money has been spent on the Science Secretary calling a scientist a terrorist sympathiser on social media, without any evidence at all.

“Michelle Donelan should be embarrassed, she should apologise, and she should repay the full amount back to the taxpayer. Her conduct falls so far below that expected of a minister.

“It is emblematic of this Tory government’s arrogance and recklessness that a Minister is forcing the taxpayer to pick up the legal bill for hurling abuse at a scientist online.”

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said this incident was “nothing short of a scandal”.

She said: “If Michelle Donelan had a shred of integrity left, she would pay for this bill out of her own pocket instead of asking taxpayers to pick up the tab. If she refuses to do so, Rishi Sunak should dock her pay.

“This news will come as a kick in the teeth to people who are seeing their finances clobbered by the cost of living crisis while local health services are on their knees.

“This is yet another scandal that proves it’s time to kick this sleaze-ridden Conservative Government out of office for good.”

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Cabinet Minister Admits Wrongly Accusing Academic Of Supporting Hamas

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A cabinet minister has agreed to pay damages after wrongly accusing a senior academic of supporting Hamas.

Michelle Donelan, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, suggested on X that Professor Kate Sang had expressed sympathy for the militant group.

In fact, the top Tory had misinterpreted a post on the social media platform in which Professor Sang linking to a Guardian article on the aftermath in the UK to Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 last year.

The academic took out a libel action, which has now been settled – with the taxpayer picking up the bill.

Ms Donelan also wrote to the UK Research and Innovation government agency suggesting that Professor Sang and a second academic, Dr Kamna Patel, had shared extremist material.

The pair, who had both appointed to the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion board, were then subjected to a months-long investigation by the UKRI.

In a post this afternoon on X, Donelan said she had withdrawn her allegations.

She said: “I have never thought or claimed that Professor Sang, or any member of the Board, committed a criminal offence.

“I fully accept that she is not an extremist, a supporter of Hamas or any other proscribed organisation and I note that an independent investigation has concluded that there is no evidence that she is. I have deleted my original post to my X account.”

Tamsin Allen, who represented Professor Sang in her libel complaint, said: “Michelle Donelan has now withdrawn her false allegations and agreed to pay damages and costs to Professor Sang.”

Professor Sang said: I am delighted that this matter has now concluded, but very disturbed by the way in which Michelle Donelan and UKRI behaved.

“Had they asked me at the start, I would have explained the true position. Instead, Michelle Donelan made a cheap political point at my expense and caused serious damage to my reputation. I propose to donate part of the damages she has paid to a charity.”

Shadow science, innovation and technology secretary Peter Kyle said: “The secretary of state must prove she still has the confidence of the research community after using her department to make false allegations against academics.

“Accusing researchers of sharing extremist material and sympathising with a proscribed group, without any proof, is a new low in government standards.”

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