‘Jew hate IS being tackled’, Labour’s general secretary tells conference

Jennie Formby has reassured the party's conference that antisemitism is being addressed and accused Boris Johnson of being an 'unrepentant racist'.

22 September 2019, 1:17 pm
Gen Sec Jennie Formby

Labour’s general secretary Jennie Formby has reassured the party’s conference that the antisemitism crisis is being tackled and accused Boris Johnson of being an openly and unrepentant racist”.

She said Labour has taken action on antisemitism and had published updated statistics on the complaints process.

She said the party has launched a members’ booklet and webpage, “No Place for Antisemitism”, and is working on developing further educational materials to help members “understand and challenge racism in all its forms”.

Formby also took aim at the Conservatives, saying: “We have the shame of an openly and unrepentant racist Prime Minister, presiding over a Tory party with many proven Islamophobes in their numbers, steadfastly refusing to care enough to take any action.

“But that doesn’t let us off the hook. We’re Labour and we’re better than that. We always have been and we won’t tolerate discrimination of any kind in our party.”

The senior party official, who was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, received a standing ovation as she arrived on stage at Labour’s conference in Brighton, and was presented with flowers by leader Jeremy Corbyn.

She pledged Labour would protect the NHS from privatisation.

She told delegates: “I want to say a huge thank-you to everyone who has given me so much support over the last six months.

“I’m not quite there yet but the love and solidarity that I’ve experienced from across our party and our whole movement has been incredible and I can’t tell you how much it’s been appreciated by me and my family.”

Read more: 

read more:
comments