Breaking: Sally Bercow threatened with libel suit over Sky News comments. The New Statesman has learned that the speaker's wife, Sally Bercow, is being threatened with a defamation action by MigrationWatch UK and its chairman, Sir Andrew Green, following comments she made on Sky News when reviewing the day's papers with conservative blogger Iain Dale. The threat of libel action stems from Bercow's remarks last month on reviewing a Daily Express article which said a recent study conducted by MigrationWatch "pointed to a link between migration and youth joblessness that could no longer be ignored or brushed aside".
Bercow claimed that MigrationWatch study's assertion, as printed in the article, is "grossly simplistic" and the Express story is "exactly what Mosley said in the 30's and Hitler argued in Germany". The lawyers acting for Green and MigrationWatch have accused Bercow of linking MigrationWatch with "fascists and Nazis", and have requested an apology and an undertaking not to repeat the claims. Bercow has rejected the claim on sevral fronts. The Free Speech Blog: Official blog of Index on Censorship » Breaking News: Breaking news: Sally Bercow threatened with libel action. Sally Bercow, political commentator and wife of Commons speaker John Bercow MP has been threatened with libel action by Sir Andrew Green of think tank MigrationWatch, Index on Censorhip has learned.
Bercow received a letter from Sir Andrew’s solicitors on 17 September, demanding an apology and legal costs for comments made on an 18 August Sky news newspaper round-up slot. Commenting on a Daily Express story migration and youth unemployment, Bercow said the article grossly oversimplified the migration debate, and that such oversimplification was “dangerous propaganda”. She claimed that arguments linking immigration to unemployment had been used by fascists such as Adolf Hitler and British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley. The Express article had quoted figures from a MigrationWatch study. Bercow did not mention Sir Andrew, and made just a single reference to MigrationWatch in the allegedly libellous comment. This seems an attempt to stifle such debate, which is no one’s interest.” Time for an open and honest debate about Migration Watch? Defamation case against Sally Bercow highlights the urgent need for libel reform. « Don't Get Fooled Again.
Case documents from the Migration Watch vs Bercow libel case « Don't Get Fooled Again. For my details on this, see my previous post… Migration Watch vs Bercow libel case documents These documents consist of: pp1-2 A letter from the Migration Watch solicitors, Geoffrey Leaver, to Sally Bercow p3 A transcript of the television programme in which Sally Bercow made comments which Migration Watch claims are defamatory. p4 A draft apology to Andrew Green written by the Migration Watch solicitors and included in their initial letter, with the expectation that Sally Bercow would “send an apology to Sir Andrew in the terms attached”. It’s important to note that even though this letter was written by the claimant’s solicitors in Sally Bercow’s name, she neither approved it nor signed it. pp5-8 A response to the Migration Watch solicitors from Sally Bercow’s lawyers, Preiskel & Co.
Like this: Like Loading... Preiskel & Co advises Sally Bercow on potential libel case. City firm Preiskel & Co has been retained by Sally Bercow, political commentator and wife of Commons speaker John Bercow MP, to respond to threats of a libel suit against her. The firm’s media chief David Allen Green has been instructed alongside Bryan Cave associate Robert Dougans, who previously represented science writer Simon Singh in his legal fight against the British Chiropractic Association (15 April 2010). Bercow has assembled the team after being threatened with legal action by Sir Andrew Green, the chairman of thinktank MigrationWatch, over comments she made on Sky News in August that later appeared in the Daily Express. Green’s lawyers at Milton Keynes based Geoffrey Leaver Solicitors have demanded an apology and legal costs from Bercow after she commented that a Daily Express story on migration and youth employment was grossly oversimplified.
A letter before action was sent by Green’s lawyers last month. Defend Sally Bercow against Migration Watch. The right-wing lobby group MigrationWatch are taking Labour activist Sally Bercow to court over allegedly libellous comments she made. According to Richard Wilson : She is fighting the case with the help of formidable free speech advocates David Allen Green and Robert Dougans, who led the successful defence of science writer Simon Singh against an unfounded libel claim by the British Chiropractic Association. MigrationWatch is the ultra-right group that wants to restrict immigration into Britain.
It has been repeatedly pulled up for misrepresenting data and demographics to push their case. According to Index on Censorship : Bercow received a letter from Sir Andrew’s solicitors on 17 September, demanding an apology and legal costs for comments made on an 18 August Sky news newspaper round-up slot. Mrs Bercow will go to court to defend herself against any libel proceedings. The case is also likely to be closely watched as proof that English defamation laws need reforming . Jack of Kent: Bercow makes a stand for libel reform | Journalism.co.uk Editors' Blog. At the end of last week, news broke that think-tank MigrationWatch had threatened political commentator Sally Bercow with libel action following comments she made on Sky News in August about a Daily Express story on migration.
Her comments reportedly included reference to what she perceived as the oversimplification of arguments made in the article, which included statistics from MigrationWatch, adding that the story was “fairly dangerous propaganda”, based on case documents posted by author Richard Wilson on his blog. According to a release from the Libel Reform Campaign, Bercow, who is the wife of House of Commons speaker John Bercow, received a letter from MigrationWatch’s chairman Sir Andrew Green’s solicitors demanding an apology and legal costs as a result of her comments. Yesterday lawyer David Allen Green announced on his ‘Jack of Kent’ blog that he had been instructed to act in Bercow’s defence to any libel action. MigrationWatch had no further comment to make at this time.