Community’s business chiefs give green light to Keir Starmer’s Labour
Turning away from toxic Labour under Jeremy Corbyn, influential communal businessmen such as Jonathan Goldstein, Ian Rosenblatt and Gary Lubner are again expressing support for a Starmer-led party
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Prominent business leaders from within the community are offering their support once again to Labour under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer.
Former Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) chair and property investor Jonathan Goldstein confirmed the trend, insisting” strong backers of the Blair and Brown governments are coming back under the new environment.”
Goldstein, now co-owner of Chelsea Football Club, had previously been one of the most outspoken critics of the party under Jeremy Corbyn.
He was one of the main speakers at the now infamous Enough Is Enough demonstration against antisemitism in the party, which took place outside parliament in 2018.
Credit Marc Morris
But Goldstein, who had previously been a member of the Labour Party until becoming disaffected, told Bloomberg UK added it had become more normal to support Starmer’s party in today’s business circles.
In an open signal of the improved relationship with Starmer, the Labour leader was Goldstein’s guest in the Chelsea directors box for the clash earlier this month with Arsenal.
The pair were pictured enjoying friendly conversation at Stamford Bridge during the game, which was also attended by Starmer’s wife Victoria.
City solicitor Ian Rosenblatt also confirmed to the same news site he has started to donate to Labour again “in the last few months.”
Rosenblatt said that Corbyn had previously “toxified the Labour Party and wasn’t interested in people like me.”
There was further support for Starmer from Gary Lubner, the chief executive of vehicle glass repair company Belron.
Parliament’s Register of Members Financial Interests confirmed Lubner had recently donated £42, 000 to Labour, to pay for a staff member in the office of shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The same register also confirmed that Sir Victor Blank, a vice president of the JLC with a hugely successful business career, had donated £100, 000 to Labour to pay for the salaries of staff in Reeves office.
Jewish News has learned that the shadow chancellor has been busy hosting speaking events specifically designed to convince leading figures in the business world that they can trust the Starmer-led party.
Labour’s fundraising has shown a significant sign of recovery over the past year, after dipping significantly in the wake of the party’s devastating 2019 election defeat.
Electoral Commission records show that donations fell by about £10 million in the year following the election loss to around £14.5 million.
In 2021 the party received £17.1 million, but party sources confidently predict this figure will be easily surpassed by the end of 2022.
Lord Michael Levy, a former special adviser to ex-Labour prime minister Tony Blair, has once again taken a significant role in organising the party’s fundraising push ahead of the next general election.
Starmer has also continued to speak of his mission to “root out antisemitism” from the party.
Party members who have offered support to now proscribed organisations such as Labour Against The Witch-hunt – accused of downplaying and denial of antisemitism with the party – continue to be expelled.
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