Paul Staines, the founding editor of the Guido Fawkes website, has agreed to pay almost £10,000 in damages to green energy industrialist Dale Vince to settle a High Court libel claim.
The lawsuit was initiated following two articles published in March 2024, which Mr Vince claimed had libelled him by falsely alleging he supports Hamas.
The articles followed a Times Radio interview given by the Labour donor in October 2023.
During the radio interview, which occurred two days after the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, Mr Vince stated that “one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist” as part of a broader discussion about the issue.
Mr Vince’s legal team said that Guido Fawkes had published two articles and a 16-second extract from the interview, which included the quote, but that his comment had been “fatally distorted”.
Following a judge’s ruling on preliminary issues in the libel case, Guido Fawkes announced that Mr Staines would pay Mr Vince £9,995 in damages to settle the claim, without issuing an apology.
Mr Staines would also cover Mr Vince’s legal costs, estimated to be around £100,000.
Mr Staines must also remove the allegations from his website and social media within seven days, and cannot repeat the claims.
It comes after Associated Newspapers Ltd, the publisher of the Daily Mail, settled a similar libel claim brought by Mr Vince earlier in the week.
In a statement, Mr Staines said: “My decision to settle is a purely commercial one, similar to the decision that Associated Newspapers and GB News made.
“Following the adverse ruling on meaning the Guido Fawkes Organisation simply does not have the resources to risk a ruinous High Court legal battle of this kind involving appeals against a wealthy claimant.”
He continued: “I am strongly of the opinion that this type of action, which the claimant has publicly characterised in partisan political terms, should be prohibited under the proposed cross-party supported legislation to block Slapps (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation).
“We will make no apology for closely scrutinising wealthy party political donors who do business in Government-regulated industries.”
Mr Justice Pepperall decided several early issues in the case on Wednesday, including the “natural and ordinary” meaning of the articles and whether they were statements of fact or opinion.
Discussing the first Guido Fawkes article, the judge rejected Mr Vince’s claim that it “alleged his support for the 7 October atrocity”, but “declined to make a finding of some broader support for Hamas”.
In a statement, Mr Vince claimed he was “seriously defamed” by the articles and that he believed his case “is the first successfully pursued against Paul Staines and his Guido Fawkes operation”.
He added that he was “happy to have burst his (Mr Staines’) bubble” and added that Mr Staines must be “diligent and accurate with what he publishes”.
Mr Vince is also taking legal action against Richard Tice, the deputy leader of the Reform UK party, and Lord Shaun Bailey, in separate libel cases in relation to the same accusations.
