By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-03-29 11:56:17 | Updated at 2025-03-31 22:28:28
2 days ago
A Labour mega-donor and eco-warrior has won damages against Guido Fawkes over false claims he supported Hamas.
Dale Vince accepted nearly £10,000 in damages from the political blog website, after Paul Staines, the former owner of Guido Fawker, agreed to pay after articles that were published last year.
The High Court heard on Friday that the articles had been removed and Staines agreed not to repeat the claims.
However, Staines, who founded Guido Fawkes over 20 years ago, said he settled the claim because he “simply couldn’t afford to keep fighting” and called Vince “a thin-skinned, narcissistic, rich bully”.
Dale Vince accepted nearly £10,000 in damages from the political blog website
PA
This series of events began in 2023, when Vince, while speaking on Times Radio about the October 7 attacks, said “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”.
The comment triggered extreme backlash, including from now-deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
Vince’s lawyer’s branded the allegations that he supported Hamas as “defamatory”, asserting that “right-thinking people were horrified by the atrocities committed by Hamas … and would inevitably hold a very low opinion of someone who had expressed support for Hamas or who had otherwise sought to defend their position”.
They added that Staines's false claims had caused Vince serious harm and distress.
Staines was reportedly advised that he could appeal the judgement, but claimed it had become too costly
WIKIMEDIA
The court was informed that Vince had proposed to settle the dispute with Staines last year without seeking damages, provided the publisher issued an apology and covered his legal fees.
However, Vince’s lawyers explained that “Staines chose to double-down, claiming that his website was based offshore and that he was immune from suit.”
This stance, they said, compelled Vince to pursue a defamation claim in court.
They further clarified that the claim “was never about the recovery of damages, which will be donated to charities working in Palestine”.
Meanwhile, Vince is also pursuing claims against deputy Reform UK leader Richard Tice and Lord Bailey of Paddington.
He claims the pair also made defamatory statements after his comment on Times Radio.
Responding to Staines’s remarks about him, Vince said: “It’s Paul Staines who is the thin skinned bully … Many, many people have welcomed this calling of him to account — people without the means or time to take legal action.”
