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An ex-councillor and parliamentary candidate has denounced Bath Labour Party's criticism of a BBC Panorama documentary about anti-Semitism.

Labour Party member Joe Rayment said a motion describing the documentary as a "dishonest hatchet job," was "disgraceful" and suggested it denied the experience of Jewish people in favour of party loyalty.

The motion, agreed by the Bath Labour party this week, condemned the programme Is the Labour Party anti-Semitic? for only showing "one side of the argument" and alleging a lack of balance "undermined its credibility".

Mr Rayment tweeted: "I completely reject it and I want to make it clear that I voted against it.

"Denying the lived experience of Jewish people in our party in favour of blind loyalty."

Mr Rayment, an ex-parliamentary candidate in 2017, said he spoke out in opposition to the motion at the meeting, held at the Manvers Street Baptist Church on Monday (July 15).

He said: "The motion is disgraceful. It is an attempt to minimise a significant and awful problem in the Labour Party.

(Image: paulgillisphoto.com)

"I still believe the party is a force for good in politics but trying to minimise that stain in our party through dodgy statistics and ignoring the clear lived experiences of people who are Jewish and are inside or outside of the Labour Party is unacceptable.

"Even if you think this problem is exaggerated in the Labour Party, the way to deal with it is not to deny it, but to root it out and then stamp it out.

"People's primary concern is to defend Jeremy Corbyn rather than defend the victims of this racism.

The motion highlighted six points of criticism, including trying to portray Jeremy Corbyn negatively, that allegations were made without evidence or corroboration and none of the many Jewish members who hold opposing views were interviewed.

It also stated: "This was a dishonest hatchet job with potentially undemocratic consequences, revealed in its closing line asking for an alternative leader to replace Jeremy Corbyn.

"It pretended to ask a question but had a pre-determined answer. It disgraced the name of Panorama and exposed the bias endemic within the BBC."

The motion, which passed, urged the BBC to present another programme of "similar length and prominence" that was more balanced.

After the meeting, Mr Rayment, who stood as a Labour councillor at Bath and North East Somerset Council until May, tweeted that he rejected this "disgraceful motion."

"I know where my priorities lie, and one of those is addressing this issue, but there are many others in the party that won't admit to there being an issue."

Mr Rayment said when he watched the Panorama documentary he was horrified by what he saw.

"I watched it - that is not the party I want to belong to," he said.

"I was horrified but what I saw. The next day I was dreading seeing people that I knew defend it.

"I have been very clear on my condemnation of this."

Mr Rayment claimed the motion was put forward by director and prominent Labour Party member, Ken Loach.

He said this motion was circulated at the meeting.

Mr Rayment also took to Twitter to say Mr Loach, who lives in Bath, proposed the motion.

"I do not think there is merit in the points they make," he said.

"People like John McDonnell say that this (anti-Semitism) is an issue.

"He is not a Blairite, he is a bastion of this Labour Party and an ally of Jeremy Corbyn.

"I argued against the motion. The room was split in terms of its views but there was a clear majority in favour of the proposal.

"I was shouted down a bit as well. I am still firm in my belief that Labour is the best vehicle to deliver socialism in this country.

"Leaving the party is not the right thing to do."

What was in the documentary?

The Panorama documentary, which aired last week, claimed senior Labour figures interfered in the disciplinary process of dealing with accusations of anti-Semitism.

Ex-party officials claimed that Seumas Milne, one of Jeremy Corbyn's closest aides, and General Secretary Jennie Formby intervened in anti-Semitism investigations.

Mr Milne alleged Labour was 'muddling up political disputes with racism' and that Mrs Formby tried to interfere in who sat on a panel examining a high-profile case.

The Labour Party has denied these claims.

Labour deputy leader, Tom Watson, said he was 'shocked, chilled and appalled' by the allegations and the party had 'serious questions' to answer.

Response from Bath Labour Party

A Labour Party spokesman said: “Bath Labour Party is committed to confronting and campaigning against anti-Semitism, which is rising in our society and across Europe.

"The testimonies from Jewish members in Panorama were concerning and the Labour Party has said that any complaints they receive about the incidents described will be fully investigated.

“The motion expressed the CLP’s (Bath Labour Party) view that Panorama’s approach was biased and dishonest.

"The programme selectively quoted correspondence to change its meaning, did not feature balanced voices among interviewees, and did not reflect evidence which indicates the problem of antisemitism in Labour is not an institutional one, for example statistics which show complaints about antisemitism relate to a small minority of members.

“The motion is about writing to the BBC to complain about the lack of balance.

"It is a criticism of the Panorama team's approach. It is not in any way a critical of interviewees who took part in the programme."

How did the BBC respond to the Labour Party's criticism?

The Labour Party said it would make a full complaint to the BBC about the 'heavily slanted and inaccurate Panorama programme'.

It also called for the programme to be removed from BBC IPlayer and for an apology.

In response, a BBC spokeswoman said: "The BBC stands by its journalism and we completely reject any accusations of bias or dishonesty.

"The investigation was not pre-determined, it was driven by the evidence.

"The outcome shows the serious questions facing the Labour Party and its leadership on this issue.

"The programme adhered to the BBC’s editorial guidelines, including contacting the Labour Party in advance of the broadcast for a full right of reply.”

What's your view? Email richard.mills@reachplc.com.

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