Labour Party National Executive Committee working group on antisemitism invites Jewish Labour group to meeting and then refuses to let them in
The Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has invited prominent Jewish members of the Party to a meeting of its working group on antisemitism, only to refuse to let them in.
The farcical scene saw the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) being told that its leaders were invited by the working group “to attend their next meeting and contribute to their discussion on this issue”, but upon arrival they were not permitted to enter the meeting room.
One of the JLM delegation, Adam Langleben, reported that he had been disinvited from the meeting and that his invitation had been a “misunderstanding”. After waiting outside the meeting room for over an hour, the delegation was still not allowed to enter.
The Labour Party said: “Jennie Formby has written to Adam Langleben to clarify that the invitation was only extended to people with a role in Labour’s disciplinary process. Peter Mason has first-hand experience of our processes and his invitation was in that capacity, not as National Secretary of the Jewish Labour Movement. An invitation had already been sent to the Jewish Labour Movement for a separate meeting with Jennie Formby to discuss combatting antisemitism.”
It is astonishing that the Labour Party’s working group on antisemitism decided to go to work without the Labour Party’s Jewish affiliate. That it excludes them speaks volumes about their intentions.
We’ve arrived to attend @UKLabour’s NEC working group on antisemitism as “The Working Group have agreed to invite you to attend their next meeting & contribute to their discussion on this issue”. We await to see if the Jewish affiliate of 99 years will be allowed in the room
— Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) May 8, 2018
Having been asked to wait by the receptionist, we’ve now been waiting for 50 minutes whilst the Labour Party discuss combatting antisemitism without us. https://t.co/HthueipReZ
— Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) May 8, 2018
