Lord David Blunkett, former Labour Home Secretary, says antisemitism within Labour makes him “despair”

Lord David Blunkett, the former Labour Party Home Secretary, said that antisemitism within Labour makes him “despair.”

Writing in a letter to The Telegraph, Lord Blunkett said: “The behaviour of the hard left within the Labour party — the antisemitism, the thuggery, the irrational views on security and international issues, and the lack of realisation that you have to embrace a big tent of people in order to win — certainly makes me despair.”

Lord Blunkett, who was a Labour MP for 28 years before becoming a Labour peer, urged Labour moderates, however, to remain in the party: “Whatever Labour moderates might think of the leadership, therefore, quitting is not an option – because there is going to be a future for Labour, and the future is worth fighting for. “

He added: “These moderate voices may not yet have succeeded in defeating the top-down approach or the antisemitism, but in policy terms they have had an impact – along with the more sensible trade unions, who constantly get forgotten, but who do matter.”

In March this year, Campaign Against Antisemitism met with Lord Blunkett to update him on our work and efforts to counter antisemitism.

On 28th May, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.

In recent months, thirteen MPs and three peers have resigned from the Labour Party over antisemitism, along with a large number of MEPs, councillors and members.

Over 57,000 people have now signed our petition denouncing Jeremy Corbyn as an antisemite and declaring him “unfit to hold any public office.”