• Shopping Cart Shopping Cart
    0Shopping Cart
Campaign Against Antisemitism
  • Link to X
  • Link to Tiktok
  • Link to Instagram
  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to Youtube
  • Link to LinkedIn
  • Link to Mail
  • ANTISEMITISM
    • Definition of Antisemitism
    • Recognising Antisemitism
    • The Law of Antisemitism
    • Resources for Teachers
  • RESEARCH
    • Prevalence of Antisemitism
    • Antisemitic Crime Levels
    • Prosecutions for Antisemitism
    • Effects on British Jews
    • Antisemitism in Political Parties
    • EHRC
    • Antisemitism in Universities
    • Antisemitism in Local Authorities
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • Media Centre
  • PODCAST
  • ABOUT US
    • Our Work
    • Spokespeople
  • HELP US
    • Subscribe
    • Volunteer with us
    • Intern with us
    • Work with us
    • Become a Student Ambassador
    • Donate
  • CONTACT
    • General Enquiries
    • Media Enquiries
    • Licensing
  • Click to open the search input field Click to open the search input field Search
  • Menu Menu
Politics, United Kingdom UK-only e-mail list (not for international stories), Website

Roundup of antisemitism news from Labour Conference as Sir Keir Starmer defends backing antisemite Jeremy Corbyn “100%”, saying any Labour government is better than the alternative

On antisemitism, this year’s Labour Party conference has exemplified the tension between public relations and substance and continues to raise questions about how and why the Party’s leadership is tackling the issue. Sir Keir Starmer’s follow-up comment this morning defending his backing of the antisemite Jeremy Corbyn by arguing that a Labour government is better than the alternative is a case in point.

Asked about his effort to de-Corbynise the Labour Party, Nick Robinson asked Sir Keir on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning about a comment that he made during the 2019 General Election backing Mr Corbyn “100%”. Mr Robinson observed to Sir Keir that “you presented to the country with something that was not a plan for serious government…and not a man who was a serious candidate to be Prime Minister.”

Sir Keir responded, saying: “I am a member of the Labour Party and a Labour MP and like every member of the Labour Party and every MP we support a Labour Government. A Labour Government is always better than the alternative. And all of us supported a Labour Government at the last election, and quite right too.”

Sir Keir conveniently omitted that numerous Labour politicians of principle had by that point left the Party in disgust at its institutional racism and in solidarity with their Jewish peers who had been hounded out of the Party under Mr Corbyn’s leadership. Although Mr Robinson’s question was not specifically about antisemitism, Sir Keir mentioned earlier in the interview that antisemitism was one of the reasons that the electorate did not consider Labour under Mr Corbyn fit for government, and Sir Keir’s infamous “100%” backing for Mr Corbyn was never diluted by Mr Corbyn’s or Labour’s racism.

Sir Keir has now explained why he backed a Corbyn government while others left: because loyalty to party trumps fighting racism.

The comment comes the morning after the conclusion of Labour’s annual conference, in which Sir Keir claimed repeatedly to have “closed the door” on antisemites in the Party and on Labour’s “shameful chapter”, even though there was plenty of evidence that this was not remotely the case, with fears for the safety of Jewish attendees and Jewish former Labour MP Ruth Smeeth stating that “this is my 22nd Labour conference, and yet I feel sick about the idea of being in Brighton, knowing I will be a target for yet more racist abuse”; reports of expelled members permitted access to the conference; a speaker who has allegedly promoted Rothschild conspiracy theories invited to address the main conference hall; another outrageous fringe event hosted by the antisemitism-denial group and sham Jewish representative organisation, Jewish Voice for Labour; and Labour backbencher and one-time member of Sir Keir’s Shadow Cabinet, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, apparently complaining that Labour members were being “purged or set up with false allegations”.

In addition, illustrating the persistence of a particular mindset that continues to strain the Party’s relations with the Jewish community, delegates approved a provocative motion using extremely inflammatory language about the Jewish state that was proposed by the controversial faction Young Labour. Sir Keir and Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy tried to distance themselves from the motion.

Then there was Mr Corbyn himself, who reportedly still refused at the conference to apologise for the comments that got him briefly suspended from the Labour Party and indefinitely suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), while apparently continuing to bring other MPs down with him, with longtime ally, Andy McDonald MP  coming under fire for appearing alongside him at a conference event. Mr McDonald subsequently quit the Shadow Cabinet, ostensibly over a policy issue.

Sir Keir apparently reiterated that Mr Corbyn needs to apologise to be permitted to rejoin the PLP (and new rules may mean that Mr Corbyn may never otherwise become a Labour MP again), but the charade of his concurrent membership of the Labour Party and exclusion from the PLP is a constant reminder of how broken Labour’s disciplinary process is. Is it tenable to argue that Mr Corbyn’s offenses are at once so great as to exclude him from the PLP but not so great as to prevent his membership of the Party? Is Labour’s message to be that racists are welcome in the Party but simply not as its public face?

It is that tension between public relations and substance that has become a theme of this year’s Labour Party conference.

Certainly, there were some welcome steps, such as the introduction of a semi-independent disciplinary process, as mandated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) after it found Labour to be institutionally racist toward Jewish people following an investigation in which Campaign Against Antisemitism was the complainant. Yet although this change was legally required, over a quarter of those attending the Labour conference voted against it (as did eight members of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee in the days preceding the conference) and some affiliated groups (such as the second-largest union, Unite) abstained. Evidently, for them loyalty to their version of Labour trumps not only fighting racism but also the law.

But Sir Keir’s claim to have “closed the door” on antisemitism in the Labour Party is not only absurd but a worrying insight into how he views the problem. At the beginning of the conference, Sir Keir heralded the new disciplinary process as “a major step forward in our efforts to face the public and win the next general election” (because he recognises, as he told BBC Four’s Today programme this morning, that antisemitism was one of the reasons Labour lost the election in 2019), rather than as a sadly necessary means of delivering justice for Britain’s Jews because his Party was found to have been so grotesquely racist as to have broken the law.

Later, at the end of the conference, he delighted in Dame Louise Ellman’s return to the Party — announcing at the beginning of his keynote speech, “welcome home Louise” to an ovation (and some hissing) — but that was the only nod to antisemitism in his entire address. 

Sir Keir will have to show that he sees fighting Labour antisemitism as more than just a public relations stunt necessary to win elections.

Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Sir Keir Starmer believes that he has closed the door on the shameful chapter of Labour antisemitism, but he is worryingly mistaken. Far from being the end of the matter, approving a semi-independent disciplinary process, as required by law, is merely the beginning of the real challenge of purging racists and their enablers from his Party and delivering justice for the Jewish community. That means implementing that new process, investigating our complaints against Jeremy Corbyn, Angela Rayner and others, and encouraging a major culture change in a Party that, as this conference has shown once again, remains obsessed with Jews and the Jewish state.

“It also means Sir Keir himself admitting that the period of Mr Corbyn’s leadership, which he actively supported, were inimical to his Party’s ideals. In this respect, his claim on Today that a Labour government led by an antisemite is ‘better than the alternative’ is not encouraging.

“Just as Dame Louise Ellman left the Party years after its antisemitism had taken institutional root, so the remedial process, if undertaken in good faith, will take years after her return to run its course, as she herself acknowledges.

“Above all, waging a public relations campaign and actually fighting antisemitism are two different things. Sir Keir has spent the last several days showcasing his ability to do the former, but he cannot pull the wool over the eyes of Britain’s Jews. He will be judged over whether he really reforms the Labour Party and delivers justice for the Jewish community.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has lodged a complaint against Jeremy Corbyn, holding him responsible for conduct that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the Labour Party, as the Leader during the period of the EHRC’s shameful findings. Given the serious detriment that this conduct has caused, we are seeking Mr Corbyn’s immediate resuspension and, if the complaint is upheld, we will be requesting his expulsion. On the day of the publication of the EHRC’s report, we also submitted a major complaint against Mr Corbyn and other sitting MPs, including Angela Rayner. These complaints are yet to be acknowledged by the Party, and they must be investigated by an independent disciplinary process that the EHRC has demanded and Sir Keir has promised but has yet to introduce.

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.

Related

      
30/09/2021
Search Search
  • “Bye bye, Gary!”: Sharon Osbourne gives Gary Lineker the red card, following CAA petition signed by thousands16/05/2025 - 11:16
  • Solicitor loses High Court appeal after being struck off in case where CAA provided expert opinion15/05/2025 - 17:34
  • Thousands sign CAA petition demanding the BBC to cut ties with Gary Lineker15/05/2025 - 11:37
  • CAA calls for Gary Lineker to be removed from post after sharing inflammatory video13/05/2025 - 17:21
  • As arrests are made across the nation, the Government must heed our calls to proscribe the IRGC12/05/2025 - 18:18
  • We won’t let the pressure let up on Kneecap06/05/2025 - 21:09
  • BBC reiterates commitment to thematic review of Gaza coverage06/05/2025 - 10:37
  • University Rector wins appeal following dismissal over comments which made students “fear for their safety”02/05/2025 - 14:03
  • Kneecap dropped from Plymouth venue, following CAA action01/05/2025 - 15:01
  • Kneecap dropped from Eden Sessions festival, following CAA action30/04/2025 - 14:54

We are seeking to recruit a General Counsel a Creative Communications and Events Officer a Communications and Research Manager an Education and Outreach Intern to join our London office

Join the fight

Subscribe
Volunteer
Donate

Campaign Against Antisemitism is a volunteer-led charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law. Everything that we do is done by people who volunteer their time, using donations contributed by members of the public. Join the fight against antisemitism by subscribing to our updates, volunteering, or donating.

Related

Justice, justice, you shall pursue - צדק צדק תרדף
© Copyright - Campaign Against Antisemitism, all rights reserved. Our logo is a registered trademark.
Campaign Against Antisemitism is a charitable incorporated organisation registered with the Charity Commission (number 1163790).
Use of our website is subject to our terms. Trees are planted every year to keep our work carbon neutral.
  • Link to X
  • Link to Tiktok
  • Link to Instagram
  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to Youtube
  • Link to LinkedIn
  • Link to Mail
Link to: Ukraine bans “antisemitism and its manifestations” Link to: Ukraine bans “antisemitism and its manifestations” Ukraine bans “antisemitism and its manifestations” Link to: Driver’s attempt to run over Jews observing Sukkot prompts police investigation in Los Angeles Link to: Driver’s attempt to run over Jews observing Sukkot prompts police investigation in Los Angeles Driver’s attempt to run over Jews observing Sukkot prompts police investigation...
Scroll to top Scroll to top Scroll to top

We use cookies to track use of our website and your preferences. Use of our website is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Read more.Accept cookies and our terms of use

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Other cookies

The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Terms of use and privacy policy
Accept settingsHide notification only
SIGN UP FOR UPDATES BY E-MAIL

By default you will receive weekly e-mails, but when you receive the first e-mail you can change to daily or monthly e-mails instead.

If you prefer to subscribe later, you can do so by scrolling right to the bottom of this page.