Top Corbyn aide Seamas Milne ‘intervened’ to get antisemitism suspension lifted

Jeremy Corbyn’s top aides intervened personally to ensure that a Labour activist accused of antisemitism had their suspension lifted. 

The claim puts to bed any claim that the leader or his office does not interfere in disciplinary processes against those accused of antisemitism. 

Seumas Milne, Corbyn’s director of strategy and communications, and Andrew Murray, another member of the inner circle, demanded that the party reinstate Jewish anti-Zionist Glyn Secker after he was kicked out for joining a Facebook group where members posted messages denying the Holocaust and peddled conspiracy tbheories. 

Secker was also criticised for heckling a member of the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) at Labour’s conference in 2016. 

“There are legitimate questions to be asked about someone who has contributed to Palestine Live, heckled JLM at conference and posted content saying ‘Jew = Zionist = Israel = Jew’,” a party official wrote. A second agreed: “We would normally suspend with this.” 

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However, in a 9 March 2018 email, Murray called for the suspension to be lifted, writing: “JC [Jeremy Corbyn] interested in this one.” He also reported activists fighting Jew-hate such as Labour Against Anti-Semitism as “well dodgy”. 

Milne defended Secker, writing. “None of the posts can be identified as anti-semitic in the terms of the definition we have adopted as a party... Several quite clearly relate to political arguments within the Jewish community.” 

In another development reported by the Sunday Times, shadow chancellor John McDonnell is heard on tape admitting he is supporting a woman suspended as a Labour candidate over comments about “Zionist sympathies” of a Jewish MP.  

Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt plans to sue the party after being dropped last year as candidate for South Thanet last year. In a recording obtained by the paper, McDonnell is heard saying: “I’ve expressed my support for Rebecca… I don’t want to in any way prejudice that, but I’ll express my public support, full stop.” 

A party spokesperson said the leaks were “malicious, selective briefings from a disgruntled former employee”.