Labour peers launch extraordinary attack on Jeremy Corbyn over 'political failure' on anti-semitism

Emilio Casalicchio

Labour peers have launched an astonishing attack on Jeremy Corbyn and condemned his “political failure” to tackle anti-semitism in the party.



They argued the crippling crisis over Jew-hate in Labour ranks was an “embarrassing and hugely damaging mess” and called for a dramatic change in approach.

And they said the announcement by the human rights watchdog that it was poised to launch a probe into the party was “humiliating and a matter of great shame”.

But Labour insisted Mr Corbyn was a "militant opponent" of anti-semitism and "rooting it out of our party is an absolute priority".

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission yesterday said Labour may have “unlawfully discriminated” against people because of their religious beliefs.

Its announcement came as it emerged senior officials in the leader’s office had advised complaints teams over how to act in disciplinary cases.

The latest developments spurred Labour members in the House of Lords to task their chair Toby Harris to complain directly to Mr Corbyn in an extraordinary letter.

Lord Harris said peers wanted to express their alarm “at what is frankly an embarrassing and hugely damaging mess caused by the ongoing failure to remove anti-semites from our party”.

He added: “This failure diminishes the moral authority of the Labour party, undermines our whole ethos and calls into question our wider commitment to anti-racism.”

Turning to the ECHR announcement, Lord Harris fumed: “For the Labour Party to be in this position is nothing short of humiliating and a matter of great shame.”

'NOTHING WILL CHANGE'

The peers made clear their truck was not with Labour staff but with a "political faillure of leadership".

Lord Harris said: “Labour peers are also firm in their view that the failure to deal with what is now a crisis in the Labour party is a political failure and not one of process or resourcing.

“Until the people making the decisions about discipline and expulsions accept as anti-semitic words and actions viewed by the Jewish community as anti-semitic nothing will change and the crisis will continue.”

Lord Harris demanded to know the extent to which senior aides have been, and will be, involved in the complaints process, after a number of damaging leaks this week about past case discussions.

Elsewhere, the peers backed deputy Labour leader Tom Watson, who said he would oversee complaints but was attacked for doing so by general secretary Jennie Formby.

Lord Harris said peers were “fully behind him in his attempt to build confidence in the complaints system and to ensure that as a party we are operating in an accountable and transparent way”.

'MILITANT OPPONENT'

A Labour spokesman said: "Jeremy Corbyn has made clear that he is a militant opponent of antisemitism and that rooting it out of our Party is an absolute priority.

"The Labour party takes all complaints of antisemitism extremely seriously and we are committed to challenging and campaigning against it in all its forms.

“Since becoming General Secretary, Jennie Formby has made procedures for dealing with complaints about antisemitism more robust.

"Staff who work on disciplinary matters have always led on investigations and recommendations on individual cases, and the Leader’s Office is not involved in this process.”