Mark Pack

Former Labour MP sues Sunday Telegraph over expenses story

By | Mon 21st June 2010 - 1:50 pm

The Press Gazette reports:

Former Labour backbench MP Frank Cook has filed a libel writ against the Sunday Telegraph over a front-page story from May 2009 about his expenses.

He is demanding damages of up to £50,000 from publishers Telegraph Media Group over a front page story and two inside pieces in May 2009 in the Sunday Telegraph.

The stories, which he claims were defamatory, were headed “MP claimed £5 for church collection” and “I’m sorry church claim was unfair.”

Cook, who represents Stockton North, is also suing over a comment headed: “Now it is the people’s turn to be heard.”

He says the articles meant he represented low “value-for-money” as a parliamentarian, and that his £5 claim, which was refused, was an extraordinary abuse of MPs expenses, and was particularly embarrassing and hypocritical because of his support for the campaign to commemorate a Battle of Britain hero …

He says the allegations were given “disproportionate and excessive prominence” in the newspaper and online, and that by mentioning his former job as a gravedigger, the paper hoped to ridicule him.

When speaking to a reporter, he had denied he did not represent value-for-money, but says the paper failed to report that he was ineligible to vote on bills he had chaired, which gave a false impression of his voting record.

You can read the full story here.

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This entry was posted in News.
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3 Comments

  • RHardware 21st Jun '10 - 2:02pm

    A paper giving a story a “disproportionate and excessive prominence”? Well I never…

    Simply put, his stupidity made for a good headline. Hardly a revolutionary step for a newspaper to take, is it?

  • toryboysnevergrowup 21st Jun '10 - 2:42pm

    Just when I was beginning to think two parties had a duopoly over stupidity! Presumably he also has a solicitor who is happy to collect fees for such high quality advice?

  • Andrew Suffield 21st Jun '10 - 3:08pm

    Suing the Telegraph for libel sounds fairly justified to me. Not that I’ve read the story or anything…

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