Activists from Labour’s Jewish affiliate could refuse to campaign in upcoming elections unless the party takes radical steps to tackle antisemitism allegations.

The new chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, Mike Katz, and the Labour MP Ruth Smeeth have backed moves by members to give a scorecard to Labour politicians based on their action on antisemitism.

Katz, who was elected on Sunday at the movement’s AGM, where a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership was passed, said the JLM could still consider breaking links with the party entirely. The group is the party’s oldest Jewish affiliate and has 2,000 members.

Jewish Labour Movement passes no-confidence motion on Corbyn Read more

He said members had been diligent campaigners in local and general elections but that “solidarity cuts both ways” when it came to which MPs it would support.

Smeeth, a former trade union official, said the group would “work to rule” when it came to campaigning, as agreed in a motion passed at the AGM.

“Jewish members don’t feel safe, comfortable or welcome and not everyone is showing the level of solidarity that should be expected,” Smeeth said. “Why would Jewish members campaign in places where they could be abused or have to justify even being involved in the Labour party? We have made clear that we want to stay affiliated to the Labour party – but on our own terms.”

Katz said the action stopped short of an all-out campaigning strike. “We have got elections coming up but we are not going to put that effort in unless we know people are standing shoulder to shoulder with us,” he said.

“To be really clear, we are not just going to say: ‘Oh, it’s election time, let’s jump to it.’ If you clearly and consistently support us, not just virtue-signalling on Twitter, then we will have your back.”

Smeeth said the motion passed on Sunday proposed that Labour politicians receive a scorecard to show members who had done the most to address the problem. “A lot of people talk the talk nationally, but do they take action at their local meetings?” she said.

A Labour spokesperson said the party was determined to foster a welcoming environment for Jewish members. “Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party are fully committed to the support, defence and celebration of the Jewish community and its organisation,” the spokesperson said.

“Antisemitism complaints received since April 2018 relate to about 0.1% of our membership but one antisemite in our party is one too many. We are determined to root it out of our party.

“We’re pleased that JLM decided to remain affiliated to the Labour party. We absolutely want Jewish people to feel safe and welcome within our party, whether out campaigning or in our meetings and events. There is absolutely no place in our party for antisemitism as Jeremy Corbyn has made clear.”

MPs including Smeeth, Stella Creasy and Wes Streeting submitted a motion at Monday’s meeting of Labour parliamentarians demanding the party release its evidence given to the Equality and Human Rights Commission for its preliminary investigation into Labour’s handling of antisemitism claims.

The motion also called for the party to provide details of the number of complaints made regarding antisemitism each month in the last five years, and which complaints were investigated and acted upon.

Katz, a former parliamentary candidate for Hendon, said the party should agree to have its entire complaints process overseen by an independent regulator – and then challenge other parties to sign up to a similar system.

“It needs to be independent, where the process is transparent,” he said. “Clearly the Conservatives have a huge problem with Islamophobia and we stand shoulder to shoulder with people fighting that. There is no hierarchy here. Saying this does not let Labour off the hook.

“Labour could lead the way on this and say: ‘We are calling for this independent process and challenging other parties to follow suit.’”

Katz said the group had been buoyed by the support of the former prime minister Gordon Brown, who urged Labour supporters to join the JLM in solidarity even if they were not Jewish. Katz said the JLM’s membership had increased by about 10% since Brown’s video message last week.

He said the no-confidence motion was about “a crisis of leadership and culture”. Referring to allegations printed in the Sunday Times, he said: “Why do people who think Jewish Israelis were behind 9/11, or those who call Jewish MPs [Smeeth and Margaret Hodge] ‘shit-stirring cum buckets bought and paid for by Israel’ or who believe JLM has links to Isis – why do they think the Labour party is their natural political home?

“OK, yes, ask why they are not chucked out quickly, that’s a problem. But why are they attracted to Labour in the first place?”

Labour’s general secretary, Jennie Formby, wrote to MPs on Monday night saying the party was committed to rooting out abuse but condemning the leaking of “selected extracts of staff emails … and false assertions about the involvement of the leader’s office” to the Sunday Times.

Creasy’s motion submitted to the parliamentary Labour party meeting, likely to be subject to a vote in the coming weeks, called for the party to disclose the full correspondence involved in the Sunday Times report and details of internal disciplinary investigations that would be undertaken.