Amber Rudd accuses Labour of ‘baiting Jews with hateful language’
She has also called on Jeremy Corbyn to place the Hastings and Rye Constituency Labour Party under special behavioural measures
Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd has accused the Labour Party in her constituency of “baiting Jews with hateful language”.
She has called on Jeremy Corbyn to place the Hastings and Rye Constituency Labour Party (CLP) under special behavioural measures.
Rudd expressed concern that Labour activists passed a motion calling for Derby North MP Chris Williamson to be reinstated to the party.
Williamson was suspended on Wednesday following claims the party has been “too apologetic” about antisemitism.
Rudd also claimed the CLP motion dismissed some claims of antisemtism as “crying wolf”.
The Cabinet minister said: “Jewish people in Hastings and Rye deserve far better than a local Labour Party obsessed with peddling conspiracy theories about Jewish people.
“For too long, the Labour Party in Hastings and Rye has deliberately goaded and baited Jews with hateful language and got away with it.
“This latest salvo is a disgrace and shows that the local party is infected with antisemitism.
“And now Jeremy Corbyn … must immediately place the CLP under special behavioural measures and personally oversee efforts to treat this infection.”
A Labour Party spokesman said: “Downplaying the problem of antisemitism is offensive and makes it harder for us to tackle it.
“Motions about individual disciplinary cases are not competent business for CLPs, which are not involved in individual disciplinary cases and cannot influence them.
“We completely reject claims of institutional antisemitism.”
Hastings and Rye CLP chairman Ken Maitland said: “I reject entirely Amber Rudd’s claims about our local party.
“We are a vibrant, welcoming and diverse local party which is absolutely committed to fighting racism and antisemitism.
“Antisemites are a tiny minority within our party of over half a million people but one anti-Semite is too many.
“Polling has shown that antisemitic attitudes are higher among Conservative voters than Labour voters so clearly all parties must work together to tackle this prejudice across the political spectrum.”
Meanwhile, a Labour source expressed concern that a media release about the matter was issued from Rudd’s special adviser’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) account.
The source said: “The press release sent by Amber Rudd’s special adviser from their DWP account is a clear breach of the special adviser code of conduct and should be investigated by the Cabinet Office.”
Williamson has vowed to clear his name, saying he has a “very strong case”
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.
