LABOUR FOUR DUCK DONOR SMEAR SCANDAL

CRUMBRIA: 11.03.2026

THE Chronic can report the most unusual developments in local churnalism: somebody has asked a difficult question!

Ace reporter Gareth Cavanagh may be the only Crumbrian journo so far to have come to the realisation that the sun may not streak relentlessly out of Labour’s A-hole.

He remembered that the disgraced Labour Together – the ‘think tank’ widely credited with helping Keirnocchio slither into Number 10 – donated to the 2024 election campaigns of Cumbria’s Labour MPs.

Our less-than-fantastic four Markus Campbell-Savours, Josh MacAlister, Michelle Scrogham and Julie Minns all received donations from Labour Together, totalling £30,000.

**Crumbria’s less-than-fantastic four have ducked questions about the shady past of their donors**.

Labour Together is, as it happens, the outfit accused of sending a PR firm after journalists asking the wrong sort of questions. That’s abominable Soviet-style tactics.

It was also previously fined by the Electoral Commission over undeclared donations and is now facing an investigation from the Ethics and Integrity Commission.

Verdict? They’re probably not going to find any.

Recently, a Scottish Labour MP stood up in the House of Commons to condemn Labour Together’s activities in unusually direct terms.

His verdict: “This is some dark shit!”

Seated just a few feet away was Penrith & Solway’s Markus Campbell-Savours, who did not even look up from his phone.

Given what followed, Markus’ non-response can hardly be called out of character.

With Labour Together’s sleazy operations now in the public domain, you might have expected Cumbria’s Labour MPs to put at least a little distance between themselves and the outfit that helped propel them into their £98,000-a-year jobs in Westminster?

Yet not ONE of our MPs has managed to utter a single word of criticism of Labour Together when Gareth came calling with questions!

At that point, the four MPs discovered that taking the money had been much easier than condemning the donor’s conduct.

Tosh MacAlister, whose campaign received £10,000, had nothing new to say when approached. His team referred back to remarks made in 2024 about campaign donations being properly declared.

Michelle Scrogham MP — *Michelle Scrogerm*

Michelle Scrogerm’s camp down in Barrow & Furness, whose campaign also received £10,000, took much the same line. Michelle Suddenly Speechless – Shocker!

Martyr Campbell-Savours, whose campaign accepted £5,000, declined to comment at all. His Spin Doctors in Crumbria referred Gareth’s enquiries to more Spin Doctors at Labour HQ!

Cha-cha-cha expert, Joolz Minns, whose campaign received £5,000, would only bang on endlessly about the donation having been properly declared.

In the end, it fell to Lib Dem MP, Saint Tim Farron of all people, to say the rude bit out loud, describing Labour Together’s tactics as “utterly reprehensible”.

So that was the local Labour response: Cumbria’s less-than-fantastic four — happy enough to take the money, less energetic when your local paper came knocking about the type of outfit which provided it.

The affair has been pushed off the front pages by Epic Fury, to the likely relief of Labour and, more particularly, four of its MP’s here in Cumbria.

Questions still outstanding:

Did our MPs know Labour Together’s record when they accepted the money?
Why have none of them condemned its treatment of journalists?
Will they return the cash or take more from the group in future?

Watch Markus’ non-reaction to the “Dark Shit” speech. Click photo to watch the video.

***Markus’ non-reaction to the Labour Together scandal being criticised.***

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Gareth Cavanagh’s article excerpts below:

A LABOUR think tank accused of ‘utterly reprehensible smears on a journalist’ donated thousands to four Cumbrian Members of Parliament for their 2024 General Election campaigns

Labour Together, the organisation said to have engineered Sir Keir Starmer’s rise to power, donated funds to the following Cumbrian MPs in 2024: Josh MacAlister, Julie Minns, Markus Campbell-Savours and Michelle Scrogham.

The Cumberland News asked Cumbrian Labour MPs if their acceptance of donations from Labour Together shows good judgement in light of the fine it received in 2021.

MPs were also asked if they were aware of the allegations against Labour Together when they accepted the donations, as well as their view of the organisation now.

Ms Minns, MP for Carlisle said: “The donation from Labour Together was properly declared and published in line with election expenses rules.”

Representatives of Mr MacAlister and Ms Scrogham referred The Cumberland News to comments provided in 2024, in which their total campaign donations were reported.

Mr MacAlister said all donations were received, spent and declared in line with the rules.” number of women for Parliament and funded a full-time organiser.

The office of Mr Campbell-Savours, MP for Penrith and Solway, declined to comment, referring The Cumberland News to the Labour Party press office.

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