Ex Scottish Labour chair: I will not back party until antisemitism issue sorted

Scottish Labour’s former chairman has said he will not back the party in a general election until its “antisemitism problem is sorted.”

Jamie Glackin, chairman from 2014 until 2017, tweeted: “I’m a Labour man. Everybody knows that. But I won’t be voting Labour again until the antisemitism problem is sorted. And if that gets me purged then I can live with that,” in a reference to the row that has engulfed the party.

Labour is currently under investigation by the EHRC, which is expected to deliver its verdict as early as January – making it the second party to be probed by the watchdog after the British National Party.

A spokesperson for Scottish Labour insisted it is “taking decisive action against antisemitism,” saying it had doubled the number of staff dealing with complaints, increasing the rate at which antisemitism cases have been dealt with in the last 18 months more than four-fold.

The spokesperson added: “Jeremy Corbyn has also has brought forward reforms to our procedures to allow fast-track expulsions in the most serious cases, and launched an education programme to deepen understanding of antisemitism within our movement.

“While antisemitism cases that have gone through our disciplinary procedures since September 2015 account for a tiny proportion of the party’s membership, one antisemite is one too many, and we will continue to act against this repugnant form of racism.”

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said in March that “antisemitism does not represent Labour values” and that “there is no place in our party for prejudice, bigotry, hatred and racism.”