Eight Labour NEC members vote against EHRC antisemitism rule changes
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

Eight Labour NEC members vote against EHRC antisemitism rule changes

Exclusive: In move which was branded 'sad and factional' by a top party figure, the members of its ruling body defied wishes of the leadership and equalities recommendations

Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor

Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer.  (REUTERS/Yves Herman)
Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer. (REUTERS/Yves Herman)

Eight members of Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) have voted against rule changes relating to disciplinary cases that were made a legal requirement for the party to implement following the EHRC’s report into antisemitism.

In a move described by one senior party figure as “sad and factional” the eight refused to back a batch of changes to Labour rules relating to the new independent disciplinary process for cases relating to protected characteristics, required by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report.

Jewish News can reveal that the NEC members to defy the wishes of both the Labour leadership and the Commission were CLP reps Mish Rahman, Gemma Bolton and Nadia Jama, Ian Murray of the FBU, Andi Fox of the TSSA,  Yasmine Dar, (CLPs), Mick Whelan of ASLEF, and Andy Kerr of the CWU.

Despite the stance of the eight, the rule changes were still easily passed at Friday’s meeting of Labour’s ruling body – with 18 members of the NEC voting in favour, and one person abstaining.

Mike Katz, national chair of the Jewish Labour Movement told Jewish News: “The NEC are the trustees of the party.

“It’s staggering that a handful of them think factional in-fighting is more important than ensuring Labour meets an essential recommendation from the EHRC in tackling antisemitism.

Mike Katz during a press conference by the Jewish Labour Movement at the offices of Mishcon de Reya in London, following the publication of damning anti-Semitism report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

“Let’s be clear: if Labour failed to pass these rule changes next weekend it would lead to the EHRC taking enforcement action against the party.”

In his own report of Friday’s meeting, NEC member Luke Akehurst wrote: “I was really disappointed that eight colleagues would vote against a change that is a legal requirement following the investigation into antisemitism.”

Luke Akehurst

The rule changes will now go before delegates attending this weekend’s Labour conference – where, according to senior party sources, they are “confidently” expected to be passed on Sunday.

During Friday’s lengthy meeting Labour leader Keir Starmer made an impassioned speech in which he rejected claims by the hard-left that he was engaged in a factional war against them with his crackdown on antisemitism in the party.

Starmer told the meeting he is in a fight to rid Labour of antisemitism – not a fight against any section of the party.

Labour’s executive head of legal Alex Barros-Curtis also delivered a swift rebuke to claims made by Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL) in a submission to the EHRC that the party has disproportionally expelled Jewish members.

Barros-Curtis said the party utterly refutes the submission made JVL: “Particularly that we disproportionately target them, and also that we ignore any complaints we have of theirs.

“Indeed, those complaints are actually in the backlog – so will be dealt with as part of the clearance project, which will mean these are resolved as swiftly as possible.”

Jewish News has contacted Labour for comment.

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: