Momentum urges members to back ‘Jewish donors’ slur candidate in Labour elections
The pro-Corbyn group has called on its members to back George McManus, once suspended by Labour over 'Judas' comment, in forthcoming party vote.
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
The left-wing Momentum group has sparked fury after urging members to vote for an activist who apologised over a Facebook post about “Jewish donors”.
George McManus is vying to be re-elected onto Labour’s main policy making body, the National Policy Forum (NPF), as the Yorkshire and Humberside representative, in internal party elections.
In 2018, the East Riding activist was suspended by Labour after commenting on an online story about the party’s ex deputy leader Tom Watson calling for a halt to arguments over antisemitism within the party.
In a Facebook post McManus claimed Watson “received £50,000+ from Jewish donors” before adding: “At least Judas only got 30 pieces of silver.”
In 2018, when NPF elections were last held, Momentum announced it had dropped support for McManus as a candidate, saying it was “right” he was suspended by Labour.
But publicising its choices for the forthcoming 2022 NPF election, Momentum announced on 4 August it supported McManus again as one of five candidates for members to vote for in the Yorkshire and Humber area.
The campaign group tweeted: “We need reps that will defend socialist policy and support TUs (trade unions) in their fight for better pay.”
One senior Labour source told Jewish News:“It is extraordinary that Momentum are running an NPF candidate that they themselves dropped as a candidate for the role due to antisemitism.”
Another Jewish Labour source said Momentum’s actions “beggar belief.”
In 2018 Luciana Berger, then Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree, alerted Labour Party HQ to McManus’s comment about Watson, saying: “It’s antisemitic and I’d like it to be investigated.”
McManus was suspended from the party in August 2018.
At the time Momentum applauded the decision, tweeting: “Thanks to those who drew attention to the appalling, antisemitic comment made by George McManus.
“We understand that he has now rightly been suspended from Labour. We will not tolerate any antisemitism, racism or online abuse from candidates we support.”
But his suspension was lifted just eight months later.
McManus apologised saying: “I’d like to apologise to Tom Watson and to the Jewish community for my drawing an analogy between him accepting money from Jewish donors and the biblical story of the betrayal by Judas.
“I fully accept that such an analogy is wrong and am sorry for making the comparison. I have now deleted the original post.”
McManus, a Labour member in the Beverley and Holderness CLP, had previously stood as the parliamentary candidate for the seat in 2005.
The NPF is made up of of reps from CLPs, trade unions, affiliates, the NEC, the PLP, the shadow cabinet and local government, and plays a key role in drafting policy documents for Labour’s annual conference to debate and vote on.
Jewish News has contacted Momentum for comment.
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.
