Jeremy Corbyn’s “Jewish liaison officer” expelled from Labour Party following repeated claims antisemitism was being “weaponised against the left”
A Labour activist previously appointed as Jeremy Corbyn’s “Jewish liaison officer” has been expelled from the Party.
Heather Mendick’s insulting appointment to the role in 2019 to “build bridges” with British Jews drew the ire of the community, given her record. She had said that antisemitism claims have been “weaponised” and criticised calls for Labour to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism. She also joined disgraced MP Chris Williamson on his “Democracy Roadshow” and expressed “solidarity” for Jenny Manson, a member of the sham Jewish Voice For Labour (JVL), an antisemitism-denial group. She even signed a letter in The Guardian claiming that Mr Corbyn is a “formidable” opponent of antisemitism after Luciana Berger resigned from Labour over “institutional antisemitism”.
Ms Mendick was a member of Momentum, the pro-Corbyn campaign group, and worked as a research consultant and Secretary of Hackney South Labour Party.
In a video announcing her expulsion, Ms Mendick said, “I feel relieved. The Labour Party is a cesspit.”
Elsewhere in London, Cllr Joy Wallace has reportedly been expelled from the Party. Cllr Wallace, who sits on Haringey Council, won election earlier this year and was suspended by the Party. She had allegedly accused a rabbi of being “paid handsomely” for criticising Mr Corbyn on Radio 4, among other inflammatory remarks.
Also expelled was Stephen Marks, a former member of Labour’s powerful National Constitutional Committee. He received an administrative suspension from the Party in July 2021, and has reportedly now been expelled.
Meanwhile, the Labour MP Nadia Whittome has been accused of associating with a controversial group.
The Labour Party was found by the 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.
