Freebie gala dinner lands Labour party in hot water

The by-election in Gorton & Denton is looking like a two-way race between the Green Party and Reform UK, but Labour are still fighting to win.

According to a new report in the Telegraph, Labour are throwing the kitchen sink at the race. Or, to be more specific, they’re using the sink — and everything else in the kitchen — to prepare delectably illegal meals for potential voters (allegedly):

Will anything happen as a result of this?

As we’ll get to, probably not — not if Reform’s own by-election scandal is anything to go by.

Labour hosts “freebie gala dinner”

As reported by the Telegraph, the dinner took place at a South Asian restaurant, and fed 600 people. The venue had posters up showing images of Labour candidate Angeliki Stogia.

Speaking at the dinner, Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell said Gorton & Denton should vote for Stogia or:

we’re going to end up with Reform in Manchester and we’re not having that

Presumably eluding to the multiple paedophile-related scandals engulfing the Starmer government, Powell also said:

We have not got everything right. We have tried our best and we have done some really good things … but I understand we haven’t got everything right.

That’s certainly one way of putting it.

For reference, Labour’s recent paedophile-related scandals include:

So yeah, they haven’t “got everything right”; that’s true.

Will anything come of this?

As the Telegraph also reported, the police investigated Reform UK for a buffet last October, but dropped the investigation. The Telegraph added:

The party had provided a buffet to supporters before a council by-election in Northamptonshire.

According to guidance from the Electoral Commission, the law “does not apply to ordinary hospitality”.

As you can imagine, then, Labour are confident they’ll get off with this. One of their spokespeople said the report is a “desperate, politically motivated move”.

It’s also the case that the police have dropped a case into Reform related to the Gorton & Denton by-election:

For more on that story, read:

Featured image via the Canary