Stella Creasy: MP who faced ‘malicious’ report to social services claiming she was ‘not a fit mother’ calls for law change

Published

2 years ago

December 4, 2023

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A Labour MP who was left with a social services record after a “malicious” report by a man who was convicted of harassing her has called for a change in the law.

Stella Creasy’s voice cracked as she explained how the online troll continues to “target” her family as the record still exists.

The Walthamstow MP said victims should have the right to request the deletion of data gathered or held as part of activity which could be considered criminal conduct, thereby preventing “ongoing distress” to them.

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Speaking as MPs considered the Victims and Prisoners Bill, Ms Creasy told the Commons: “A year ago a man started emailing my office with his concerns about my politics and the issues that I was working on.”

Ms Creasy said she did not respond, adding: “Then I was called by my local social services because that man had decided, because he disagreed with my views, I was not a fit mother for my children.

“He had reported me, an investigation had taken place and whilst it had cleared me, my children and I now have a social services record.

“When I went to the police about the matter, they said he had a right to express his opinions in that way.

“I challenged it because of my work on stalking and I understood that somebody who could report in that way, and use a malicious report to harm somebody, was clearly dangerous.

“In coming forward, further reports came out revealing that this man had continued his campaign of harassment.”

Ms Creasy went on: “Whilst this man has been convicted of harassment, his ability to target my family continues because the record continues.

“At present, there is no way of removing a clearly malicious and false accusation from somebody’s record made to a third-party organisation.”

The MP said she had received “no support or help from parliament or anybody within the parliamentary process for this, for the welfare of myself or my children, but now I want to stand up for everybody who has been through this process”.

“Because victims of clearly malicious reports must have the opportunity to have the record corrected,” she added.

Responding for the government, justice minister Edward Argar said Ms Creasy spoke with “considerable and typical courage”.

He added: “I’m happy, and the appropriate minister will be happy, to have further discussions with her on the issues she raised.”

Politics

MP Zarah Sultana who was ousted from Labour announces she is starting new political party with Jeremy Corbyn

Published

10 hours ago

July 3, 2025

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MP Zarah Sultana who was ousted from Labour announces she is starting new political party with Jeremy Corbyn

An MP who was ousted from the Labour Party has announced she is setting up a new political party with Jeremy Corbyn.

Independent MP Zarah Sultana said she and the former Labour leader will co-lead the new party, which she did not provide a name for.

She said other independent MPs, campaigners and activists from across the country will join them, but did not name anyone.

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Ms Sultana also said she was “resigning” from the Labour Party after 14 years.

She was suspended as a Labour MP shortly after they came to power last summer for voting against the government maintaining the two-child benefit cap.

Several others from the left of the party, including Mr Corbyn, were also suspended for voting against the government, and also remained as independent MPs.

However, Ms Sultana was still a member of the Labour Party – until now.

Mr Corbyn has previously said the independent MPs who were suspended from Labour would “come together” to provide an “alternative.

The other four are: Iqbal Mohamed, Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan and Adnan Hussain.

Mr Corbyn and the other four independents have not said if they are part of the new party Ms Sultana announced.

In her announcement, Ms Sultana said she would vote to abolish the two-child benefit cap again and also voted against scrapping the winter fuel payment for most pensioners.

Ms Sultana also voted against the government’s welfare bill this week, which was heavily watered down as Sir Keir Starmer tried to prevent a major rebellion from his own MPs.

On Wednesday, Ms Sultana spoke passionately against Palestine Action being proscribed as a terror organisation – but MPs eventually voted for it to be.

She said to proscribe it is “a deliberate distortion of the law to chill dissent, criminalise solidarity and suppress the truth”.

Ms Sultana said they were founding the new party because “Westminster is broken but the real crisis is deeper – just 50 families now own more wealth than half the UK population”.

She called Reform leader Nigel Farage “a billionaire-backed grifter” leading the polls “because Labour has completely failed to improve people’s lives.

The MP, who has spoken passionately about Gaza, added: “Across the political establishment, from Farage to Starmer, they smear people of conscience trying to stop a genocide in Gaza as terrorists.

“But the truth is clear: this government is an active participant in genocide. And the British people oppose it.

“We are not going to take this anymore.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “In just 12 months, this Labour government has boosted wages, delivered an extra four million NHS appointments, opened 750 free breakfast clubs, secured three trade deals and four interest rate cuts lowering mortgage payments for millions.

“Only Labour can deliver the change needed to renew Britain.”