Jess Phillips: Corbyn must ‘move every sinew in his body’ to change Labour
Birmingham politician bemoans fact that Jewish MP Luciana Berger felt she had to resign from the party on Monday
Jeremy Corbyn should “move every sinew in his body” to change Labour after the resignation of seven MPs from the party, a Labour MP has said.
Jess Phillips, who represents Birmingham Yardley, urged the Labour leader to take heed of the politicians’ reasons for quitting, warning reacting with bitterness could cause the party to “burst apart”.
Chuka Umunna, Chris Leslie and Luciana Berger joined Mike Gapes, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey in walking out of the party on Monday, condemning Mr Corbyn’s stance on Brexit as well as his handling of the antisemitism issue, in potentially the most significant split in British politics for a generation.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Ms Phillips said what happened next would depend on whether the party chose “kindness and healthy self-criticism or instead choose to go to war”.
She wrote: “If Jeremy Corbyn wants to repair the party so it can fight the worst Tory government for many decades, he would look at Luciana Berger declaring that, as a Jewish woman, she cannot stay in an institutionally racist party and move every sinew in his body to change it.
“He would listen to each and every one of the now ex-Labour MPs when they say that the public are worried about feeling politically homeless, and he would build them a home, not a student union.
“Politics is about, and for, all the people in this country, not a tiny clique on the hard Left who want to prove that they are the best and who believe that if you’re not in their gang then you belong in the bin.”
Ms Phillips said she remained in Labour because she still believed its core values were central to what it was all about – but warned her loyalty was “not blind”.
Meanwhile, shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry branded the MPs’ resignations a “distracting and divisive exercise” and said the party should unite to keep the Conservatives out of power.
“This is what our entire party should be focused on, not this distracting and divisive exercise from some of our MPs,” she said, writing in the Mirror.
“These MPs need to be politely asked if they plan to put up candidates in Labour-Tory marginals and split the Labour vote.
“If they do, the only effect their actions will have is to keep the Tories in power for another generation, and make a Tory Brexit more likely, not less.”
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.
