Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin has been accused of ‘complete fabrication’ after incorrectly claiming she helped get funding for a charity boxing club in her constituency
A Reform UK MP has been accused of “complete fabrication” after incorrectly claiming she helped get funding for a charity boxing club in her constituency.
Sarah Pochin said she secured funding for Runcorn Amateur Boxing Club (ABC) to support young people in the area in a now deleted social media video filmed at the club.
“Mr office has managed to help them get funding to keep them going for another 12 months because they do greet work for young people in Runcorn,” she said in the Facebook clip, which has been seen by The Mirror.
But ABC denied the claims and said that it has received “no funding from Reform”.
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The club requested an apology from the Runcorn and Helsby MP and warned it is a charity with no connection to any political party. It also said ABC’s chair and head coach had not given permission for Ms Pochin to film at its premises.
In a statement posted to Facebook on October 7, the club said: “In this video she states that she has helped get funding for Runcorn ABC, this is a complete fabrication. Runcorn ABC is a charity run by volunteers to help everyone and anyone within the town and has done for many many years. We have received no funding from Reform and are sure that Sarah is aware of this as well.”
In a comment to The Mirror, it added: “Statements like that can very much harm us going forward applying for any kind of financial assistance, as it implies that we have already been funded.
“As a charity we do not get involved with politics especially in the current extremely divisive climate.”
After ABC refuted the claim, which was first reported by local newspapers, Ms Pochin said there “has been some confusion around the funding my team helped secure from Juniper Training for Diverse Sports Runcorn, which is based at Runcorn Amateur Boxing Club”.
She said funding for Diverse Sports Runcorn (DSR) “‘was at risk of being withdrawn” but that after her intervention “funding was ultimately secured”.
She added that DSR operates within ABC but that they are separate organisations.
But in a further twist, she later deleted this post after ABC again reiterated: “As stated here that is not us… As a charity we do not align with political parties, nor have we had this financial help.”
In a final Facebook post on October 8, Ms Pochin admitted: “To clarify, there has been no additional funding sourced for Runcorn Amateur Boxing Club, or for the provision that Juniper Training run at those premises.
“The funding has come from existing resources which have been allocated for a further year.”