Jewish News meets Christian Wakeford: ‘I lost the best man for my wedding over this’
After his dramatic defection from Conservative to Labour, the Bury South MP tells Lee Harpin he is sleeping better and continuing his deep community involvement
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
The MP Christian Wakeford has said he has “no regrets” about defecting from the Conservative Party to Labour, adding: “My politics in terms of the Jewish community and Israel, they haven’t changed.”
Speaking to Jewish News about last month’s shock move – which saw him become the first MP in 15 years to jump ship in the same way – Wakeford rejected claims he had betrayed those who had made the Bury South representative at the last election, including many local Jews.
“The notion of betrayal, this would never have happened were this still Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party – but it’s not,” he said, addressing those critics, who have accused him of disloyalty, and much worse since he walked out on the Tories in dramatic fashion one hour before Prime Minister’s Question Time, a fortnight ago.
Wakeford now says of Sir Keir Starmer-led Labour:”It’s essentially a new party, with a very different approach to antisemitism, and to the Jewish community.”
Five months ago, at a Conservative Friends of Israel reception at the party’s conference in Manchester, Jewish News was given a hint that all was not well between the parliamentarian and the Tory leadership.
Earlier that same October 5th day, Wakeford had given a speech at a fringe event in which he cast doubt of the Tories much trumped “levelling up” pledge – calling for the funds that had been promised since the general election to finally be received in so-called “Red Wall” seats such as Bury South.
But the speech earned Wakeford two “bollockings” for speaking out of turn, including one, he admitted, at the CFI party later that night from the Tory chief whip’s office.
“To be fair, that was the start of this journey,” he now confesses. “There had been lots of decisions I hadn’t been happy about.
“I think it was at that point, a speech I had given at Conference was being widely shared and was being commented on as being extremely unhelpful.
“I was saying that I couldn’t go back and explain some of the party’s policies, because they don’t make sense and they are damaging.”
Wakeford downplays suggestions that he had actually been threatened by the Chief Whips office for speaking out of turn about the government’s failure to honour manifesto pledges.
“It was a bollocking, but it wasn’t threatening,” he says of the Chief Whip’s actions. “It was temper your language, be careful what you say…”
But Wakeford admits that day was “the beginning of the soul-searching.”
He confesses to having sleepless nights in the weeks ahead that left him thinking;”Are we the nasty party again? Are we the bad guys?”
Recalling these troubled times, as he spoke to Jewish News from Portcullis House, Westminster, Wakeford said it was at this point he began conversations with Chris Elmore MP, the Opposition Whip, about making the switch to Labour.
It was a bollocking, but it wasn’t threatening. It was temper your language, be careful what you say
Nobody else in the shadow cabinet would be aware of the astonishing defection until it was announced to Labour MP an hour before PMQs last month.
Wakeford said he had come to realise his own political views had increasingly come to correspond with those of Starmer’s party.
“Labour,” he now says, “are the only party that is speaking about the likes of the cost of living crisis, free school meals, universal credit – things that actually really matter.
“The Conservatives aren’t even talking about it. Let alone dealing with it.”
Wakeford is angry at suggestions he might have jumped party to save his political career.
“When these conversations were taking place the Tories were still ahead in the polls,” he says.
“I’ve lost my best man for my wedding over this. To believe that I was prepared to lose such close friends just for the sake of a job – that’s neither fair nor accurate.
“For me friendships are very important … it’s hurtful to make suggestions like that.”
Labour are the only party that is speaking about the likes of the cost of living crisis, free school meals, universal credit – things that actually really matter.
“The Conservatives aren’t even talking about it. Let alone dealing with it
Though not Jewish himself, Wakeford had made widespread friendships within the community, some at a local level, others nationally through his work as an official with Conservative Friends of Israel, and some even in Israel, as a result of his staunch defence of that state. He has regularly made speeches at conferences on antisemitism prevention and most recently in Ukraine (Kiev) to commemorate the Babyn Yar massacre ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day.
The MP says he first developed his admiration for the community while studying at Lancaster University. He became friends with a Jewish person, and then developed a desire to speak out and defend the community, its values and its culture ever since.
“It was jumping in with two feet,” says Wakeford now of his decision to embrace communal life. “It was about educating myself – the religion, the culture, the community. I wanted to show there are friends out there, there are people who want to support the Jewish community.”
He revealed he continues to this day to “learn to speak Hebrew, badly.”
I’ve lost my best man for my wedding over this. To believe that I was prepared to lose such close friends just for the sake of a job – that’s neither fair nor accurate
After he announced he was defecting to Labour, it is no secret that some in the Jewish community felt a sense of betrayal. But to claim there has been universal condemnation of the move is a clear mistruth.
“Some former colleagues have been incredibly nice about it,” says Wakeford, when asked about how those within the CFI group he had been closely associated with had reacted to his defection.
He then adds: “Do I expect everyone to agree? Hopefully they will understand this hasn’t been easy. It has cost some friendships, and some very long-standing ones.”
But Wakeford is keen to stress the positives that have come out of the tough decision. “Being able to catch up on sleep … everything is a much better place to be in. Not having to question myself on a daily basis anymore.
“Do I regret making the decision? No. Do I regret some of the backlash I ‘ve received, some from friends? Hey, if someone said, ‘Would you make the same decision tomorrow,?’ Yes, I would.”
Wakeford also confirms that if he did not believe Starmer “commitment to tackling antisemitism is so strong,” he would not have been able to join the party.
He had met with the Labour leader two days before he defected. During a 40 minute long meeting in his office, the main topic of discussion had been Starmer’s desire to continue his war on the antisemites in his party.
During the past fortnight, Wakeford has campaigned locally on no less than three occasions, with Bury Council seats up for grabs in May’s critical local elections.
It has allowed the MP to come face to face with local voters, including the Jewish electorate. Some have accepted his decision to join Labour. Others have not.
“Those who voted Conservative before, both to keep Labour and to keep Corbyn out, some of them understand that Corbyn isn’t really involved anymore,” says Wakeford.
“I’ve had some very nice messages indeed from members of the community locally who were never comfortable with voting Conservative, but had done so to keep Corbyn out.
“They have told me how aware of my work on combating antisemitism and standing up for Israel they were, and how glad they are that I’ve now joined Labour.”
Last week Wakeford attended his first Bury South local Labour party meeting and admitted he was “nervous” ahead of the showdown. But apart from a couple of hostile voices, he was pleasantly surprised with the welcome he received.
And amongst Labour MPs, some of whom came across to greet him in Westminster as we speak, the reception has been similarly almost overwhelmingly positive.
He reveals only staunch Corbyn ally John McDonnell has openly spoken out against him. The former shadow chancellor had suggested Wakeford’s voting record with the Tories did not match the pattern expected of a Labour MP.
“It’s such a narrow minded view,” says Wakeford. “Former Conservative MP voted with the Conservative whip. As if that’s meant to be some kind of shock and horror.”
In May, all being well, Wakeford will fly to Israel as part of a Labour Friends of Israel delegation. It will, he laughs, probably make him the first MP to take part in visits to the Jewish state with both LFI and CFI.
And as for Corbyn himself, asked how he feels being in the same party as the former Labour leader, Wakeford says he “wants nothing to do with him.”
He also doubts the former Labour leader will ever do what has been asked of him, in order that he can stand again as the Labour MP for Islington North.
Did he experience antisemitism at all while in the Conservatives? Wakeford says he didn’t personally, although he refers to a well reported instance of anti-Jewish racism made towards to the Labour MP Charlotte Nichols by members of the nearby Warrington Conservatives.
“Do I think it exists? Yes,” says Wakeford, of antisemitism in his former party. “In any institution there will always be some bad apples.”
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