Labour leadership to face MP rebellion on Monday over refusal to accept International Definition of Antisemitism

The Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) is due to face a rebellion from Labour MPs on Monday over its refusal to accept the International Definition of Antisemitism. Having previously indicated that the Party did accept the definition, the NEC changed its mind by adopting its own rewritten version of the definition with key provisions missing.

Now, according to The JC, Labour backbenchers led by Jewish Labour MPs Alex Sobel and Luciana Berger, will propose a motion demanding that the NEC adopts the International Definition of Antisemitism in full. It appears that they have the backing of a large number of backbench Labour MPs as well as key Labour figures, including Deputy Leader Tom Watson, Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer and former Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna.

The motion states that the Parliamentary Labour Party, consisting of all of Labour’s MPs adopts the International Definition in full “and believes this should be used to define, understand and act against antisemitism in the Labour Party.”

The NEC is understood to be meeting on Tuesday to discuss formally adopting its own definition of antisemitism instead of the International Definition of Antisemitism.

The Jewish community is best placed to define antisemitism and it overwhelmingly backs the International Definition of Antisemitism, which is why the British Government and numerous official bodies such as the College of Policing have adopted the definition. For the Labour Party to rewrite that definition in defiance of the Jewish community is yet further proof that the Labour Party is institutionally antisemitic, which is why we fully support the Labour MPs seeking to ensure that the International Definition of Antisemitism is adopted by the Labour Party.