Reform’s Sarah Pochin criticised for calling parliamentary committee probing Farage’s finances ‘a kangaroo court’
'Reform really do hate scrutiny'
Reform MP Sarah Pochin has been called out for referring to the parliamentary standards committee, which has been carrying out a probe into Nigel Farage’s finances, as “a kangaroo court”.
The former magistrate used the pejorative term to refer to the parliamentary standards commissioner and House of Commons Committee on Standards in a post on X after going to Clacton to campaign in the by-election.
In the post, she said: “We can’t call a General Election, so rather than submit to a kangaroo court in Parliament, Nigel Farage has handed the power back to the people of Clacton.”
Pochin added: “P.S. Clacton was once one of the safest Tory seats… now they won’t even field a candidate against him.
“Wonder why?”.
All the main political parties, including Labour, the Lib Dems, Conservatives, the Green Party and Restore Britain have all refused to stand candidates in the Clacton by-election on 13 August.
The parties have argued that Farage resigned as an MP earlier this month and triggered a by-election to distract from the investigation into the £5 million donation he received from crypto billionaire Nigel Farage.
They have also called for the investigation to be completed before a by-election takes place, saying they would stand if a contest is held after the inquiry concludes.
When the privileges committee was carrying out an inquiry into whether Boris Johnson had misled Parliament over parties during lockdown, Johnson and several of his allies referred to it as “a kangaroo court”.
In June 2023, the committee issued a special report condemning the comments and said they had “undermined the democratic process of the House”.
Online, people have criticised Pochin for calling the parliamentary standards commissioner “a kangaroo court”.
Former Conservative health minister and broadcaster Edwina Currie commented: “Kangaroo court?”
“It’s the Parliament of the United Kingdom. If you prefer a court with a judge .. who knows?”
One user said: “So the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is now a kangaroo court?
“Reform really do hate scrutiny.”
Another said: “Surely referring to the House of Commons (Parliament) as a “kangaroo court” is bringing the Commons into disrepute?”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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