Labour peer resigns membership of 49 years over antisemitism
Lord Meghnad Desai announced he is quitting in letter published by the Times, with CAA calling it a 'principled resignation' after the publication of the EHRC report
Jack Mendel is the former Online Editor at the Jewish News.
An Labour peer has resigned from the party after nearly half-a-century of membership, citing antisemitism.
Indian-born Lord Meghnad Desai said he is quitting in a letter published by The Times, responding to its leader titled ‘Labour’s Lost’ on 19 November.
This comes after the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report into antisemitism in the party, which found it had broken equality law.
In wake of the report, Jeremy Corbyn, Labour’s former leader, was suspended for saying Jew-hate had been “dramatically overstated” during his tenure. He was then re-admitted last week, causing anger in the community – but Keir Starmer declined to restore the parliamentary whip.
Lord Meghnad Desai, who was made a life peer in 1991, writes in the Times: “Sir, You are right to be worried about the likelihood of success of the policies of the leader of the Labour Party to fight antisemitism.
“I agree with you that this makes the persistence of antisemitism more likely than not. I have submitted my resignation from the Labour Party after 49 years of membership.”
Desai, who will now sit as a non-affiliated peer in the Lords, is due to issue a statement through Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, for whom he is an adviser, on Monday.
Responding to the resignation, Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Lord Desai’s principled resignation from the Labour Party over antisemitism is the first such departure since Sir Keir Starmer became leader.
“It is a courageous decision reminiscent of those MPs and peers who quit the Party under Jeremy Corbyn in disgust”, such as Luciana Berger with the Independent Group, Ian Austin, and Louise Ellman.
CAA accused Labour of having “conned the Jewish community” by allowing Corbyn back into the party, adding the current process for cases is “a déjà vu return to the revolving door approach”, as it called for Keir Starmer to take stronger action.
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.
