Deadline due to expire for three South Yorkshire MP's libel damages payment
A High Court deadline for MEP Jane Collins to pay more than £150, 000 in libel damages and costs to Rotherham's three MPs expires later today.
Labour politicians Kevin Barron, John Healey and Sarah Champion are all entitled to £54,000 each from the UKIP Euro MP after remarks she made linking the trio to Rotherham’s child abuse scandal were adjudged to be libellous.
She claimed in 2014 that the MPs knew about child exploitation but did nothing to intervene. The comments were made shortly after a report concluded 1,400 children had been sexually exploited in the town between 1997 and 2013.
Ms Collins had argued during the libel case that it was a political speech which did not contain any allegation of fact, but expressed an opinion to the effect that the MPs were likely to have known that sexual exploitation was a problem in the area. The High Court found in favour of the three MPs. .
The three MPs have pledged to donate the money to charity.