Jeremy Corbyn reportedly considering launching new party while allies seek to restore Labour whip to him
Jeremy Corbyn, the antisemitic former leader of the Labour Party, is reportedly considering launching a new political party.
Mr Corbyn is apparently being urged by his allies to register his organisation, the Peace and Justice Project, as a political party. Mr Corbyn set up the Project following his suspension from the Labour Party in order to coordinate his activism.
However, Mr Corbyn has also recently observed that he could stand as an independent at the next election. He reportedly said: “Let’s not go into too much speculation about this…my wish is to stand as a Labour candidate…I do feel I’ve been very badly treated, but let’s take it one step at a time.”
Although Mr Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party, he was rapidly and disgracefully readmitted. However, the whip has not been restored to him, so he is in the absurd position of being a member of the Labour Party who sits as an independent MP.
Now, Nadia Jama and Ian Murray, both allies of Mr Corbyn on Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), have submitted a motion to the NEC calling for the whip to be restored to the former leader. Even if successful, the motion cannot require the whip to be restored to Mr Corbyn.
Late last year, Ms Jama seconded a motion challenging the practice of expelling Party members based on apparent involvement with groups that were proscribed after the time of alleged involvement, and earlier last year Ms Jama voted against the proscription of Labour Against the Witchhunt by the NEC.
The Labour Party was found by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to have engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment of Jews. The report followed the EHRC’s investigation of the Labour Party in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant, submitting hundreds of pages of evidence and legal argument. Sir Keir Starmer called the publication of the report a “day of shame” for the Labour Party.
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2019 showed that antisemitism on the far-left of British politics has surpassed that of the far-right.
Campaign Against Antisemitism advocates for zero tolerance of antisemitism in public life. To that end we monitor all political parties and strive to ensure that any cases of concern are properly addressed.
