Angela Rayner: If we have to suspend thousands and thousands of members, we will
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here
JLM One Day Conference

Angela Rayner: If we have to suspend thousands and thousands of members, we will

Labour’s deputy leader makes pledge to tackle antisemitism during JLM’s One Day Conference, as Manchester mayor Andy Burnham warns it could take a decade to restore trust

Angela Rayner
Angela Rayner

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has promised to suspend “thousands and thousands” of party members unless they “get real” about antisemitism.

Speaking during the Jewish Labour Movement’s virtual One Day Conference, she warned Labour members:

“If they think making people feel unsafe or unwelcome in our meetings is a response to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), report, then they need to be out of our party immediately.

“We should have some humility and humbleness, and we should be listening and aware of how hurt and upset people are.

“If I have to suspend thousands and thousands of members, we will do that.”

Rayner’s unequivocal pledge came as she confirmed there had been suspensions following a Nottingham East Constituency Labour Party meeting on Friday, in which party rules were broken after a motion calling for the restoration of the whip to Jeremy Corbyn was passed.

Addressing Corbyn’s reaction to the EHRC report, Rayner delivered a blistering attack on the former Leader for his “totally unacceptable” comments, adding that “any attempts to downplay the issue of antisemitism are part of the issue.”

“I don’t think Jeremy quite gets how really upsetting it is when he made those comments.

“I understand that he thinks he’s always tackled issues of antisemitism and racism, but on this he’s wrong. He has to accept as a leader that we failed.”

In October, the EHRC’s report into Labour’s antisemitism crisis concluded that there were “unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination for which the Labour Party is responsible.”

Mr Corbyn was thereafter suspended by the party for claiming that “the scale of the problem was… dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents”.

Joining Rayner for the panel discussion on ‘Manchester, the UK’s Jewish 2nd City’ was Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Andy Burnham

Pressed on whether the party had done enough to win back former Jewish Labour voters ahead of crucial elections next year, he admitted “probably not”.

“It would be wrong to think it’s fixed,” he added. “I think we’ve got to recognise it’s a five to 10 year job as the damage is so profound.”

The senior Labour figures also praised the work of the Jewish Strategic Group operating across Greater Manchester to help manage social care during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Burnham highlighting it as a “real model for how all communities should organise”.

On security, Rayner expressed how “absolutely devastating” it is that Jewish students must worry about security when travelling to school, promising to ensure “the funding and resources are there to ensure the Jewish community has the safety it deserves.”

Burnham additionally cautioned that the demographic growth of the Ultra Orthodox community in Manchester “must be planned for”, particularly with respect to housing and access to synagogues on Shabbat.

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

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.

read more: