GB News pundit charged with fraud during time as Labour adviser | UK news
A leading political commentator has been charged with fraud in relation to his time as a Labor Party adviser, the Guardian has revealed.
GB News regular guest commentator Matthew Torbitt is facing two fraud charges for false representation in relation to travel and expense claims he made while working in parliament.
The Guardian notes that Torbitt, 35, held advisory roles for various MPs between 2018 and 2024.
On his website he is described as Britain’s “best-loved left-hander” and one of the country’s “most popular social commentators”. As well as appearing as a panelist on GB News, he has also appeared on BBC’s Newsnight, Sky News and TalkTV.
Originally from Stockport, Greater Manchester, Torbitt came to the attention of the political establishment by sharing her experiences of homelessness. Last year he became a senior fellow at the Center for Social Justice and an ambassador for Alcohol Change UK.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Torbitt, who now lives in Didcot, Oxfordshire, is accused of receiving free train tickets by booking them through the parliamentary travel system between August 2022 and September 2024.
It is claimed that these trips were not related to parliamentary business. MPs’ staff expenses are ultimately funded by taxpayers.
It is also alleged that Torbitt made a request on 2 October 2024 for reimbursement of travel and accommodation costs for non-parliamentary purposes.
Metropolitan police said Torbitt was charged by mail on June 9. Police said they launched an investigation in April last year after receiving a report that “a staff member working for an MP was allegedly making unauthorized purchases through the travel booking system”.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Torbitt “invited him to shadow” Andy Burnham in Westminster in 2014 while the Makerfield MP was serving as shadow health secretary. Torbitt said the internship was arranged after Burnham impressed him while filming a documentary.
At the time, Burnham was MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester. He resigned in 2017 to run for mayor of the region. He returned to Westminster earlier this week after winning the Makerfield by-election.
Torbitt remains a strong supporter of Burnham, who is expected to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister next month, despite having no official role in his team.
Torbitt will appear at Thames magistrates court on July 27 on both charges.
