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Leading Labour peers offer to hold antisemitism inquiry Corbyn under fire from staff and Labour peers over antisemitism
(about 3 hours later)
Labour’s leaders in the House of Lords have made an offer to Jeremy Corbyn to investigate the handling of antisemitism in the party and advise on a new complaints system, warning him that without decisive leadership it is a “cancer that will continue to grow”. Jeremy Corbyn has come under renewed pressure as more than 200 former and current staff challenged him to resign if he could not renew trust in the Labour party’s dealings with employees and senior Labour peers offered to step in to overhaul its antisemitism complaints procedures.
Four senior peers wrote to Corbyn on Monday with an offer to establish a panel to review the allegations of former party staffers made in a BBC Panorama documentary and to “provide advice and support on how a properly independent complaints process could be set up and run”. Labour is to hold an extraordinary shadow cabinet meeting next Monday to address concerns on antisemitism and Corbyn will address MPs on the issue on the same day.
The peers – Angela Smith, the party’s leader in the Lords, her deputy, Dianne Hayter, the chairman of the peers’ group, Toby Harris, and Tommy McAvoy, the chief whip – set out their view amid consternation about allegations made on the BBC’s Panorama programme that the leader’s office interfered in complaints about antisemitism. The party denies the allegations. The party leader and his shadow ministers are raking over the fallout from the BBC’s Panorama programme on Labour antisemitism. Labour’s leaders in the House of Lords issued a veiled challenge to Corbyn’s authority on Monday, warning him that without decisive leadership antisemitism was a “cancer that will continue to grow”.
It represents another major challenge to Corbyn from within his shadow cabinet, after the deputy leader, Tom Watson, wrote to Jennie Formby, Labour’s general secretary, accusing party bosses of having “smeared” former staff members who criticised Labour’s handling of complaints. The four senior peers wrote to Corbyn with an offer to establish a panel to review the allegations of former party staffers made on Panorama and to “provide advice and support on how a properly independent complaints process could be set up and run”.
Watson himself has come in for criticism for taking Formby to task when she is undergoing chemotherapy, and Labour has accused the BBC of bias over the Panorama programme. The peers – Angela Smith, the party’s leader in the Lords, her deputy, Dianne Hayter, the chairman of the peers’ group, Toby Harris, and Tommy McAvoy, the chief whip – set out their view amid consternation about the Panorama allegations that the leader’s office interfered in complaints about antisemitism. Eight former employees appeared on the programme to discuss the handling of complaints. The party denies the allegations and complained to the BBC about the programme.
In their letter, the four Labour peers set out their concerns about the party’s approach to tackling antisemitism, saying: “It is now a toxic and endemic problem that we have failed to eradicate. Whatever action has been taken has failed to give confidence to Jewish and non-Jewish members alike that there is an absolute determined will to effectively deal with their concerns. After the documentary aired on Wednesday, a Labour party spokesperson said several of the whistleblowers involved held political grudges against Corbyn.
“This failure goes to the core of Labour’s values and ideals. How can we be seen to be the party that above all others promotes equality, and that embodies anti-racism and anti-discrimination, if we appear to tolerate antisemitism? “These disaffected former officials include those who have always opposed Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, worked to actively undermine it, and have both personal and political axes to grind,” the spokesman said. “It is simply untrue to say that there were any significant number of disagreements about what constituted antisemitism.
“Labour is taking decisive action against antisemitism, doubling the number of staff dedicated to dealing with complaints and cases. And since Jennie Formby became general secretary, the rate at which antisemitism cases have been dealt with has increased fourfold.”
Anger about the Panorama programme, and the party’s response to it, spilled over from a meeting of MPs on Monday. The chair of the parliamentary Labour party, John Cryer, said attacking former Labour staff who appeared on the documentary was “a gross misjudgment” from the party. “The bottom line is we have got racists in our party and they are not being dealt with,” he said.
The shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, told the meeting he endorsed Cryer’s view and that the party should be as transparent as possible with the Equality and Human Rights Council’s investigation.
“Throw open the books, throw open the files, and access to any member of staff,” he said. “We cannot circle the wagons.”
In their letter, the four Labour peers say of antisemitism in the party: “It is now a toxic and endemic problem that we have failed to eradicate.
“It is deeply saddening, but not surprising, that three of our valued colleagues recently resigned the Labour Lords whip. The scale of abuse that they and others have suffered is heartbreaking.”“It is deeply saddening, but not surprising, that three of our valued colleagues recently resigned the Labour Lords whip. The scale of abuse that they and others have suffered is heartbreaking.”
They also criticised the party’s reaction to the allegations about the handling of complaints made in the Panorama programme. Labour responded by complaining to the BBC and dismissing the whistleblowers as “disaffected employees”. They also criticise the party’s “heartbreaking” reaction to the Panorama allegations. They say: “Whilst there may be genuine concerns about the making of the programme, the accounts of members and former staff [were] powerful and shaming. We understand that any employer requires former staff not to disclose sensitive data, but non-disclosure agreements should never be used to silence criticism or to avoid embarrassment – especially by the Labour party.”
They said: “Also heartbreaking was the decision to attack those who spoke out in last week’s edition of Panorama. Whilst there may be genuine concerns about the making of the programme, the accounts of members and former staff was powerful and shaming. We understand that any employer requires former staff not to disclose sensitive data, but non-disclosure agreements should never be used to silence criticism or to avoid embarrassment – especially by the Labour party.” A party source rebuffed the claim that it had attacked whistleblowers. “Former staff members made a number of untrue allegations,” the source said. “It is not blowing the whistle to make allegations that are false and politically motivated.”
They made a three-pronged offer to Corbyn for peers to help tackle the problem, saying a small panel from the Lords could review the Panorama allegations and report back to the leader, national executive committee and wider party. In their letter, the peers make a three-pronged offer to Corbyn of help to tackle the problem, saying a small panel from the Lords could review the Panorama allegations and report back to the leader, national executive committee and wider party.
“This would necessarily mean that they have full access to existing and former party staff, as well as all paper and electronic records,” they said. “This would necessarily mean that they have full access to existing and former party staff, as well as all paper and electronic records,” they say.
The second offer was to draw on the trade union, legal and other experience in the group to set up a new complaints process, and the third offer was to propose how the party’s governance arrangements could be improved to foster transparency and proper decision-making. The second offer is to draw on the trade union, legal and other experience in the group to set up a new complaints process, and the third offer is to propose how the party’s governance arrangements could be improved to foster transparency and proper decision-making.
It ended: “As the leader of our party you have a responsibility to ensure that we do this. In particular, you need to demonstrate decisive leadership that Labour is determined and committed to do everything possible to remove antisemitism, and those that defend it, from our party. Without full openness, this is a cancer that will continue to grow – and, in hurting us, it will most hurt those that need a Labour government.” The letter ends: “Without full openness, this is a cancer that will continue to grow – and, in hurting us, it will most hurt those that need a Labour government.”
The letter came as Labour staffers demanded an explanation from party bosses over the treatment of the Panorama whistleblowers. Eight former employees discussed the handling of antisemitism allegations on the programme. Meanwhile, more than 200 former and current Labour staffers demanded an explanation from party bosses over the treatment of the Panorama whistleblowers.
More than 200 former and current Labour staffers wrote to Corbyn asking for more support for whistleblowers after the programme. That letter, coordinated by the former MEP candidate Amy Fowler, said staff had watched the programme on Wednesday night with “alarm and anxiety” and that the party’s response had been “to smear Jewish victims, and former staff, accusing them of acting in bad faith”. The staffers wrote to Corbyn asking for more support for whistleblowers after the programme in a letter coordinated by the former MEP candidate Amy Fowler. It says staff watched the programme on Wednesday night with “alarm and anxiety” and that the party’s response has been “to smear Jewish victims, and former staff, accusing them of acting in bad faith”.
It said: “The way the party has threatened and denigrated these whistleblowers is appalling, hypocritical and a total betrayal of Labour’s core values. Exposing racism and corruption represents Labour values in action, and these whistleblowers should be thanked, not demonised.” It says: “The way the party has threatened and denigrated these whistleblowers is appalling, hypocritical and a total betrayal of Labour’s core values. Exposing racism and corruption represents Labour values in action, and these whistleblowers should be thanked, not demonised.”
It also addressed a series of questions to Corbyn about the extent of his knowledge about any interference in antisemitism cases and the workplace atmosphere in the party. It also addresses a series of questions to Corbyn about the extent of his knowledge of any interference in antisemitism cases and the workplace atmosphere in the party.
“The crisis has moved beyond a question of rules and disciplinary processes, to a question of a political culture, and crucially, leadership,” the letter said. “As its leader, the moral responsibility for Labour’s antisemitism crisis ultimately sits with you. Own that responsibility, or give it away to someone who will.” “The crisis has moved beyond a question of rules and disciplinary processes, to a question of a political culture, and crucially, leadership,” the letter says. “As its leader, the moral responsibility for Labour’s antisemitism crisis ultimately sits with you. Own that responsibility, or give it away to someone who will.”
Labour staffers in the GMB union have also submitted a motion for discussion at their branch meeting this week, demanding an apology for the party’s response and condemning “obscene threats of legal action”.Labour staffers in the GMB union have also submitted a motion for discussion at their branch meeting this week, demanding an apology for the party’s response and condemning “obscene threats of legal action”.
The motion, which will be debated on Thursday, condemns the Labour press office’s Twitter response to the programme and says it was “unacceptable for an employee’s workload or the culture of an organisation to cause staff to have breakdowns or to contemplate suicide as several whistleblowers claimed on the programme”.The motion, which will be debated on Thursday, condemns the Labour press office’s Twitter response to the programme and says it was “unacceptable for an employee’s workload or the culture of an organisation to cause staff to have breakdowns or to contemplate suicide as several whistleblowers claimed on the programme”.
In response to Panorama on Wednesday, a Labour party spokesperson said several of the whistleblowers involved were staff with political grudges against Corbyn. Corbyn visited Labour HQ and spoke to staff on Monday morning, although a source said it was not a formal address. A Labour spokesman said there had been no attempt to discredit any Jewish member experiencing antisemitism but defended the party’s right to attack comments made by former staff which it considered to be inaccurate.
“These disaffected former officials include those who have always opposed Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, worked to actively undermine it, and have both personal and political axes to grind,” the spokesman said. “It is simply untrue to say that there were any significant number of disagreements about what constituted antisemitism. “Our response highlighted the Panorama team inventing a quote, editing emails and making no serious attempt to understand the party’s procedures for dealing with antisemitism,” the spokesman said.“A number of claims made in the Panorama programme by former staff members are inaccurate and some of the individuals have a clear record of political opposition or hostility to the Labour leadership.”Last Wednesday, Labour’s general secretary, Formby, wrote to all staff about the Panorama programme, saying she knew some would be “distressed” by the programme and the ensuing coverage and that the party had full confidence in them.
“Labour is taking decisive action against antisemitism, doubling the number of staff dedicated to dealing with complaints and cases. And since Jennie Formby became general secretary, the rate at which antisemitism cases have been dealt with has increased fourfold.” Labour can effect positive change, but not while its internal politics are so toxic | John Harris
A party source also said it was wrong to link the legal threats made by the party against some individuals to the Panorama programme. “The letter was sent several months ago. It was not about antisemitism and was unrelated to the Panorama programme, which the party did not know about at the time,” the source said.
The BBC has defended the Panorama documentary. A spokesman said: “The BBC stands by its journalism and we completely reject any accusations of bias or dishonesty. The investigation was not pre-determined, it was driven by the evidence. The outcome shows the serious questions facing the Labour party and its leadership on this issue. The programme adhered to the BBC’s editorial guidelines, including contacting the Labour party in advance of the broadcast for a full right of reply.”
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