Labour MPs urge Corbyn to intervene over Ken Livingstone verdict
Hampstead MP Tulip Siddiq writes letter to party leader urging action, warning Jewish party members would leave 'unless we act swiftly'
Labour MPs have begun urging party leader Jeremy Corbyn to step in and order an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee to review the decision not to expel former London mayor Ken Livingstone for comments about Hitler and Zionism.
Tulip Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, was one parliamentarian reacting in anger to a decision by the party’s National Constitutional Committee, which found Livingstone guilty of bringing the party into disrepute but stopped short of expulsion.
She said the NCC’s decision to suspend Livingstone for two years, conveyed on Tuesday, was “intolerable” and “brings great shame on our party”.
Siddiq, who is vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Anti-Semitism, said: “What should have been an open-shut disciplinary case has become a year-long insult to a community that I am so proud to represent.”
She said the decision was “desperately disappointing” for her Jewish constituents, “as it was for all those dedicated to anti-racism in our movement… Members have contacted me in despair over the past twelve hours. They have seen this as the final straw and have terminated their membership”.
In a letter to Corbyn, who has so far refused to comment, Siddiq said she believed “many more” Jewish Labour members would leave the party “unless we act swiftly”.
She added: “I believe the insufficiency of the punishment means that the Party must explore all options available to it. This includes asking the National Executive Committee to convene an emergency session to review the decision.”
The NCC is the party’s ultimate decision-making body, and considered Livingstone’s case after the NEC referred his case. Three NCC members, whose identities remain secret, considered the matter over a two-day hearing last week.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
