Antisemitism group to make complaints against individual MPs amid EHRC report
CAA has written to the party focusing on MPs including Diane Abbott, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Barry Gardiner, Afzal Khan and Zarah Sultan
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
In the wake of the damning Equalities and Human Rights Commission’s investigation into Labour Party antisemitism, the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) has announced it is making a series of complaints against Labour MPs — beginning with former leader Jeremy Corbyn. And it says that the news of Corbyn’s suspension from the Party and the withdrawal of the Labour whip is “a hugely significant turning point and an indicator of real change and accountability at last”.
At last, says the CAA, “our complaints against Mr Corbyn and other sitting Labour MPs who seemed untouchable, are now being acted upon”,
In a letter to David Evans, Labour’s general secretary, and party leader Sir Keir Starmer, the CAA says it is resubmitting its pre-existing complaints against Jeremy Corbyn, and asks for them to be dealt with under the new disciplinary process, recommended by the Commission.
The CAA has taken into account Jeremy Corbyn’s own direct response to the EHRC report, whose findings he says he does not fully accept. It says that “the historic elements of the complaints were plainly not dealt with appropriately or objectively”.
It is also submitting a raft of new complaints against sitting and former Labour Party Members of Parliament, parliamentary candidates fielded at the last General Election, and peers. The cases include Diane Abbott, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Barry Gardiner, Afzal Khan and Zarah Sultana, each of whom, the CAA contends have breached Labour’s own rulebook by “repeatedly contending that complaints about antisemitism in the Labour Party were (and are) simply “a smear”, victimising those making allegations of antisemitism within the Party, or engaging in antisemitic acts themselves”.
- READ MORE – Live blog: Equalities watchdog’s damning verdict on Labour antisemitism: GUILTY AS CHARGED
Gideon Falter, the CAA chief executive, tells Sir Keir Starmer in his letter: “CAA referred Labour to the Commission because the Party failed to deal with our disciplinary complaints over antisemitism within its ranks, culminating in the Party’s refusal even to investigate our complaints against Mr Corbyn. Sir Keir, you have pledged to tear out antisemitism “by its roots”, and in order to do so you must ensure that the complaints appended hereto are investigated fairly, efficiently and transparently.
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