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Labour must 'turn its back on factionalism', says Keir Starmer Union leader condemns ‘rancid’ political culture within Labour
(about 2 hours later)
Party leader repeats calls for unity and promises rapid inquiry into leaked antisemitism report Len McCluskey’s comments follow leaked report as Keir Starmer calls for end to factionalism
Keir Starmer has reiterated his calls for an end to factionalism in the Labour party as he promised that an inquiry into a leaked internal party report showing apparently brutal in-fighting would be independent and rapid. Len McCluskey, the general secretary of the Unite union, has condemned the “rancid, and very cruel, political culture” exposed in a leaked Labour report, and called for former officials implicated to be suspended from the party.
With the new Labour leader still facing anger from MPs on the left of the party over the report, leaked at the weekend, which alleges that hostility to Jeremy Corbyn hampered efforts to tackle antisemitism in Labour, Starmer said he had been “shocked” by the contents. The 860-page report, which was leaked to Sky News at the weekend, includes lengthy extracts of WhatsApp conversations between former senior Labour officials in which they are scathing about “Trots” on the left of the party.
“This is a leaked report into what was apparently happening before I became leader. I was shocked by what I saw and the circumstance in which it all came about,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. It includes allegations that some officials set up a secret project during the 2017 general election to funnel campaign funds to selected candidates’ seats, including that of the then deputy leader, Tom Watson.
“That’s why I have ordered an inquiry, which I want to be professionally done, independently done and quickly done, because our party needs to unite and face the future and get back to our historic purpose, which is getting a Labour government in so that we can actually change lives for millions of people for the better.” And it suggests the party’s governance and legal unit – the section of the party tasked with handling complaints about antisemitism and other disciplinary issues – was preoccupied with what is referred to as a “Trot hunt”.
The 860-page leaked report, seen by the Guardian, was intended to be submitted as an annex to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission inquiry into Labour’s approach to antisemitism. Writing on the website LabourList, McCluskey called for the leaked report to be published in redacted form – and suggested some of the former officials named in the report should be suspended while investigations are carried out.
The document talks about these efforts being hampered by “a hyper-factional atmosphere” in Labour’s HQ, and shows what are said to be leaked WhatsApp messages showing hostility from some officials to Corbyn and his team. “Where there is clear evidence of a party member having engaged in misogynistic or abusive conduct, or having worked to undermine the party’s election campaign, or even having broken the law, there is a case for suspension pending a thorough investigation (with no presumption of guilt),” he said.
Some of the MPs who signed the statement have subsequently called for the inquiry to report to Labour’s national executive rather than Starmer’s office, and for a halt on any senior party appointments before the findings come back. He added: “These politically-crooked officials were prepared to risk dramatic damage to the interests of the British economy and working people just in order to scratch their factional itch.
Starmer told Today that under his leadership Labour “absolutely have to turn our back on factionalism”. As well as apparently working to undermine Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, the report cites officials using a string of insults on private WhatsApp groups to describe leftwing MPs and officials in the then leader’s office.
Speaking earlier to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he said: “We have to unite as a party, and the factionalism must end. Stop asking the question, which bit of the party you’re in, and start facing the future as one united force. And I’m determined that that is going to be a hallmark of my leadership.” The report appears to have been intended as a lengthy annex to Labour’s submission to the Equality and Human Rights Commission – but after party lawyers decided it was not relevant, it was leaked.
Starmer announced the inquiry in a joint statement on Monday with the new deputy leader, Angela Rayner. On Tuesday they wrote to Labour MPs saying the party’s NEC would set the terms of reference for the inquiry. It was completed this year in the last months of Corbyn’s leadership and its conclusions clash with complaints of whistleblowers, formerly working for Labour, who told BBC Panorama last year there had been political interference in the process from the top of the party under Corbyn.
The EHRC is investigating Labour’s handling of antisemitism complaints.
Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner, announced on Monday that they had commissioned an independent review into the report’s content, and how it had found its way into the public domain.
Speaking about it on Radio Four’s Today Programme, Starmer said he was “shocked by what I saw and the circumstances in which it all came about.
“That’s why I ordered an independent inquiry, which I want to be professionally done, independently done and quickly done because our party needs to unite and face the future and get back to our historic purpose which is getting a Labour government in so we can actually change lives for millions of people for the better.
“We have to turn our back on factionalism and that was the whole basis of my leadership campaign,” he added. “I’m determined to do that.”
Some of the senior officials cited in the report told the Guardian they were considering taking legal action about the fact the report had been publicly released, saying it contradicted non-disclosure agreements signed when they left the party.
“Everyone’s consulting lawyers,” said one of those involved.
Labour MP Clive Lewis, who is referred to in one message by a member of Labour’s governance and legal unit as “the biggest cunt out of the lot”, urged Starmer to get to grips with the culture inside the party.
“We need to change the culture of our party, and that’s the challenge now for Keir and Angela,” he said. “For many members, who don’t see themselves as on the left or on the right, they will be thinking, ‘a plague on all your houses’”.
He added: “The leadership have a narrow path to tread on this. They will need to make sure that they are dealing with this in an even-handed way. If there’s any sense that there’s favouritism being shown to one side or another, then that will be problematic.”
The previous Labour leadership’s handling of allegations of antisemitism against party members overshadowed parts of the 2019 general election campaign. During a high-profile televised interview with Andrew Neil, Corbyn repeatedly declined to apologise to the British Jewish community for the way his party had handled complaints.