Support 100 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
7 October 2010updated 27 Sep 2015 2:11am

MigrationWatch UK drops threat of libel suit against Sally Bercow

No apology from Bercow as MigrationWatch back down.

By Patrick Osgood

Last week we revealed that Sally Bercow had been threatened with legal action by MigrationWatch UK and its chairman, Sir Andrew Green. Today the organisation has dropped its case.

The legal threat followed comments Bercow made on Sky News on 19 August regarding an Express story on immigration and youth unemployment. MigrationWatch’s legal complaint was based on an assertion that Becow conflated the immigration think tank and its chaiman with Oswald Mosley and Nazism. Bercow’s lawyers refuted this and she has not apologised for her remarks.

David Allen Green, a solicitor acting for Bercow, today branded the threatened action “illiberal and misconceived”.

Green confirmed that, unusually, MigrationWatch’s solicitor has not formally contacted him to confirm the climbdown, instead learning of this via the website of Iain Dale, the conservative blogger. Niether Dale’s blog nor a press release issued by MigrationWatch mention whether Sir Andrew Green, stated in the initial legal letter to be a co-claimant, has also decided not to pursue Bercow.

Select and enter your email address Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. The New Statesman’s global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. Your new guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture each weekend - from the New Statesman. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. The New Statesman’s weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.

MigrationWatch failed to proivde a comment when New Statesman ran the initial story, and were unavailable for comment today.

Dale, who defended MigrationWatch against Bercow’s remarks on air, says the outcome is a “no-score draw”, despite the demolition job (pdf) done on the initial legal threat by Bercow’s lawyers, and the stridency of the initial letter to Bercow threatening libel action if an apology was not received.