JVL co-founder Wimborne-Idrissi targets election onto Labour’s ruling body
JVL's Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, Young Labour's Jes Barnard, and George McManus, are amongst the hard-left 'slate' of candidates for internal Labour elections this summer
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
A senior figure in the Jewish Voice For Labour (JVL) group is attempting to get voted onto the Labour Party’s ruling body in internal elections taking place this summer.
Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, JVL’s media officer and one of the founders of the pro-Jeremy Corbyn group,, is listed as a candidate for the election of a representative from a local Labour party to sit on the powerful National Executive Committee (NEC).
Also attempting to get elected onto the NEC is Jess Barnard, the Young Labour chair, who has sparked outrage in the community with a series of provocative social media posts about Israel and her attacks on Keir Starmer.
In her candidate statement, Wimborne-Idrissi states: “Let’s face it – the left in the Labour Party is under existential threat.
“The policy gains and the process of democratisation under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership are being jettisoned. The response has to be solidarity and unity.”
Wimborne-Idrissi was given a reminder of conduct warning last year after she was initially suspended over her conduct at a meeting of the Chingford and Woodford Green Labour Party, where she was vice-chair.
She has previously criticised the “unjust” suspension of other left-wing party members over accusations of antisemitism under Keir Starmer’s leadership, including her ally Corbyn.
In her candidate statement Young Labour’s Barnard says:”As Young Labour Chair I have worked relentlessly to champion the voice of young members at one of the toughest moments facing us.”
Wimborne-Idriss and Barnard’s bids to secure a place on the NEC are being backed by the hard-left Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD) group, who place the pair on their “slate” of approved candidates for the elections.
Other names being backed by the CLPD include Mish Rahman, who currently sits on the NEC, and who was one of eight individuals to vote against Labour implementing rule changes relating to disciplinary cases that were made a legal requirement for the party to implement following the EHRC’s report into antisemitism.
The hard-left are hoping that the use of the single transferable vote system will increase the chance of their slate of five named candidates making into on the ruling bodies.
Labour To Win, the group closely aligned to Starmer’s leadership have also released their own names for party members to back in the elections.
Elsewhere in this summer’s internal Labour elections, George McManus, who was suspended in 2018 Facebook post – in which he accused Tom Watson, the former deputy Labour leader of receiving £50,000+ from Jewish donors” before adding: ‘At least Judas only got 30 pieces of silver’ – is standing a candidate for election onto Labour’s National Policy Forum.
This is the body that shapes Labour’s policy agenda on every big issue.
McManus, who has previously been a member of Labour’s National Policy Forum (NPF), later posted an apology on Facebook for his 2018 post.
His suspension from Labour was lifted in September 2018.
In his candidate statement, to be elected as the Yorks and Humber representative on the NPF, McManus confirms:” I’ve been an elected and active member of the NPF, representing Yorkshire and the Humber since 1997.
“I was removed from the ballot paper in 2018 due to being suspended on antisemitism allegations, a suspension which was subsequently lifted.”
One senior Labour source cast doubt on the prospect of hard-left success in the Labour elections, now that the party membership has lost some of its pro-Corbyn support.
They told Jewish News the days of the hard-left gaining a power base with bodies such as the NEC and NPF were now over.
“The most recent internal elections show the people backing Starmer, rather than tweeting the hashtag ‘Starmer out’, are in the ascendency now,” added the source.
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