JLM to only campaign for Labour candidates ‘in exceptional circumstances’
Jewish community affiliate says it will not actively back Jeremy Corbyn's bid to be PM but will support individuals such as its parliamentary chair Ruth Smeeth
The Jewish Labour Movement has said it will not campaign for Labour candidates ahead of the general election on 12 December because it does not believe Jeremy Corbyn is fit to be prime minister.
In a statement, JLM said it would only campaign “in exceptional circumstances” and “for exceptional candidates” such as Jewish Labour MP Ruth Smeeth, adding: “We will not be giving endorsements to candidates in non-Labour held seats.”
During the last general election in 2017, Labour’s first with Jeremy Corbyn as leader, JLM said it organised more than 50 campaign activities across six electoral regions, including marginal seats.
However after being elected as the new JLM chair in April, former Labour parliamentary candidate Mike Katz said the organisation was “working to rule” and would not campaign for Labour candidates in a future general election who have “backed the leadership and the way they have handled antisemitism”.
It comes after MPs voted to hold a general election on 12 December in order to break the parliamentary deadlock over Brexit – no consistent majority for any one course of action has meant that the EU had to further delay the UK’s leave-date.
Analysts have suggested that Labour will suffer significant losses around the country as voters swing either to the Lib Dems, Greens or nationalist parties. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes the Conservatives will emerge with a working majority.
The Board of Deputies said it would soon release its updated Jewish Manifesto covering “issues pertinent to the community” to all would-be MPs.
A spokesman added: “As always, we make no recommendation on how individual Jews should vote. Members of our community are fully able to make for themselves the decision about which parties and candidates best represent their interests.”
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