Anneliese Dodds heaps praise on community for help on antisemitism complaints process
Exclusive: Labour Party chair thanks the community for its input to new procedures which have 'much more transparency' and ensures 'everyone can feel safe in our party'
Labour chair Anneliese Dodds has revealed she has spent “many months” working with Jewish stakeholders on new antisemitism complaints procedures “so everyone can feel safe in our party.”
She told Jewish News: “It will be the most robust, transparent complaints process of any political party we know of in Europe.”
Speaking after Labour conference approved the new independent processes on Sunday, the MP said the advice of Jewish communal leaders and legal experts had proved vital in putting the new procedures in place.
Dodds confirmed that the new independent disciplinary measures would be put in place next January, in line with recommendations made by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.
Jewish News understands that representatives from the Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust have been amongst those groups to have worked with Labour on the new processes.
“It is really important that our house is in order, that we stamp out antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head,” the Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities said.
“The work with representatives of the Jewish community has been going on for many months to ensure that we do have a robust process in place.
“I want to thank Jewish stakeholders who have been working with us, along with the legal experts who have worked on this issue.”
Dodds says she was pleased with the constructive nature of the debate inside Labour conference on the issue, which is also aimed at combating Islamophobia, anti-Black racism and any form of prejudice.
The former shadow chancellor said the new complaints system would be “quite different to what we have currently.”
Labour, she said, had taken on board the EHRC’s recommendation that the party “never again have a politicised process” – a regular criticism of the Corbyn era.
“Every single initial determination by a panel of the NEC will be subject to independent review by an independent lawyer,” added Dodds.
“They will assess it against Equalities Law and the Labour Party rule book. In every case that independent lawyer will decide whether to veto or verify a decision.”
Dodds said that a respondent will also be able to appeal any decisions – against with new panel, consisting of an HR Expert, lawyer and lay party offical, making a determination on the decision.
This is what could trigger the IRP (Independent Review Panel) process.
“There will be much more transparency around the process,” she added. “It really is an enormous leap forward.”
Dodds said the party were working on finalising other aspects, including preventing indefinite numbers of the same complaint, ahead of the system’s launch next January.
The party’s chair said she had “engaged” with some of those who had expressed concerns with technical aspects of the new system.
Dodds said she feels their concerns are “misplaced.”
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.
