John Mann resigns as MP to take up antisemitism adviser role in the Lords
Critic of Jeremy Corbyn will be introduced by former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks, and will be tasked with providing independent advice on fighting Jew-hate
The resignation of senior Labour backbencher and critic of Jeremy Corbyn, John Mann, has been officially granted.
The peer is to take a place in the House of Lords and become an adviser on antisemitism for the Government after 18 years in the House of Commons.
Lord Mann has been a prominent critic of Jeremy Corbyn, largely over the Labour leader’s handling of antisemitism in the party.
The peer, who was nominated in Theresa May’s resignation honours list, is now tasked with providing independent advice to ministers on how to tackle anti-Jewish prejudice.
He has chaired the all-party parliamentary group on antisemitism, having first been elected as an MP in 2001.
His appointment as Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern – the archaic process that effectively resigns an MP – was made on Monday.
This rendered Lord Mann unable to vote in the Prime Minister’s later bid for an early general election.
Former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks tweeted: “It will be an honour to be one of the members to introduce Lord Mann into the House of Lords later today. Thank you for all you have done and all you will continue to do on behalf of us all.”
A by-election could be triggered in his Nottinghamshire constituency of Bassetlaw, but is dependent on whether an early general election is approved by MPs.
“The Chancellor of the Exchequer has this day appointed John Mann to be Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern,” a Treasury statement said.
The House of Lords said he has been appointed to the upper House where he is to sit as an independent but he is yet to be officially appointed. That move is expected on Tuesday.
Lord Mann was one of four Labour MPs who supported Mr Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) at second reading as well as the hasty Brexit timetable.
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.
