Labour antisemitism battle not over, pro-Starmer meeting told
Speakers at the Labour To Win group's rally in Westminster told how Keir Starmer had made the party an electoral force again, but there were still cases of anti-Jewish racism to deal with
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
A packed meeting in Westminster of the pro-Keir Starmer Labour To Win group has been told that the fight against antisemitism in the party is not yet over, according to a succession of speakers.
In a “rally” aimed at boosting the chances of five candidates from the internal Labour organisation being elected onto the party’s powerful national executive committee (NEC) at elections later this month, Starmer was praised for putting Labour back in with a chance of gaining power again at the next general election.
But activists at the meeting on Tuesday evening were warned that the moderate wing of the party needed to retain a tight grip on the party machine to ensure there was no return for the hard-left activists who organised around ex leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Speaking to the crowd Gurinder Singh Josan, chair of the Labour NEC disputes panel that handles antisemitism complaints, praised the “strong line” taken on the issue by Starmer.
But he admitted he had found over 7000 antisemitism complaints “sitting around” having not been looked into by the previous leadership.
Josan said they had managed to clear the backlog, successfully punishing many members, but there were still a low number of complaints to deal with.
He admitted the fight against antisemitism is Labour is “not yet over” but highlighted the party had introduced new codes of conduct on all forms of racism.
“We achieved independent oversight on the matters of complaints,” added Josan. “We will take a strong line on any sort of behaviour that don’t align to the Labour Party’s values.”
Later NEC member and candidate Luke Akehurst also returned to the continued fight against antisemitism.
He told the meeting:“We are still seeing antisemitism, we are still seeing all types of discrimination and abuse on the basis of race. We are seeing anti-black racism.
“No-one with those attitudes should be joining Labour, and our work will continue in achieving that through the NEC.”
Akehurst said that while the battle against anti-Jewish racism was being vigorously fought in the party, it would not be won until there was not a single complaint from the community.
He attacked the Corbyn supporting wing of the party, saying their idea of success was defeat in the 2017 general election, rather than gaining power like earlier Labour leaders had.
Akehurst joked that some of the hard left saw himself, Starmer and Labour general secretary David Evans as bigger enemies than the Conservatives.
He also stressed the need for success at the forthcoming NEC elections for the five strong Labour To Win slate, which included Jane Thomas, in order to continue the progress made under Starmer.
In a well-received speech the MP Carolyn Harris spoke of the “resurgence” of hard-left activity in the last few years around a group called Welsh Labour Grassroots who she described as the “last bastion of Corbynism.”
She said:”It is very very tough… the same old nonsense. They don’t want to govern. They want to be a party of protest.
“The UK cannot afford to have a protest party, we won’t get elected. The UK needs Keir Starmer, a Labour government that’s going to deliver on policies that embrace business, embrace people, looks after education, investment, and not constantly campaigning against something they don’t want to have.”
Chester MP Chris Matheson also told the meeting:”I want to be in government, it’s not too much to ask.
“You have to get into government, yet we have to state that again and again at CLP meetings.”
He said “many” of these fringe activists “do not want to see a Labour government, they hate the Labour Party, they want to see us fail.”
In a further speech Abdi Duale revealed he was vying to become the first black male ever to be elected onto the NEC in internal Labour elections taking place later this month.
Duale, who was born to Somalian parents, told of his despair at seeing the way the antisemitism crisis under Corbyn had forced many life long Jewish voters to reject the party last time around in the general election.
He added:“Losing changed no one’s lives. Speaking to our base changes no one’s life – like the last labour government’s changed mine.I’ll make sure if I’m elected to the NEC, I’ll work day and night to that change, and win a labour government”
Bridget Phillipson , shadow education secretary, also praised the way the election of pro-Starmer candidates had “demonstrated the changes we needed in our Party.”
She added:” Now it’s time to change the country.”
Joanna Baxter, another NEC member and candidate, said she had been in the Party for 26 years.
“In that time I’ve been on multiple execs,” she said. “I know what the challenges are.
“I know what the finances are. I have led arguments and changes. Let me lead again.”
She warned about the danger of seeing the Scottish National Party as a progressive force in her native country, saying Labour would only achieve power in Westminster with success up there.
Enfield North MP Feryal Clark added: “We can’t make the changes people so desperately need in their lives without getting into government.”We need to build the machinery – and to do that we have to elect sensible people to the NEC.”
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