Shadow business secretary: Labour has to win the faith of the Jewish Community
Rebecca Long-Bailey said the party is starting from a "very, very dark place" over anti-Semitism following the actions of a minority of members
Labour is starting from a “very, very dark place” over anti-Semitism as it bids to win the faith of the Jewish community, according to a shadow cabinet member.
Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said the actions of a minority of members combined with the party’s failure to deal with them quickly had led to concerns emerging.
Labour’s governing body, the national executive committee (NEC), did not include within its new code of conduct the full definition of anti-Semitism – including illustrative examples – set out by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
Ms Long-Bailey said the code was intended to reaffirm Labour’s commitment to the the IHRA definition and “adopt and expand” upon the examples.
She recognised concerns about that approach, telling BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show: “We wanted to develop a code that was legally robust and detailed so that we could enforce it quickly in our disciplinary processes.
“But we haven’t won the faith of the Jewish community, and indeed my own parliamentary colleagues have expressed concern.
“The intention was never to omit parts of the IHRA definition.
“The IHRA and examples is a two-sided piece of A4. It’s not very detailed but it’s very clear and straight to the point – and what we wanted to do was to build on that.
“We recognise the concerns and that’s why this week it was right for the NEC to look at the code again and look at consulting with the Jewish community to make sure we get it right because we have to restore faith in the Jewish community.
“We’re starting from a very, very dark place due to the actions of a minority in our party and the failure of us to deal with it quickly.”
Labour’s code explicitly endorses the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism and includes a list of behaviours likely to be regarded as anti-Semitic copied word-for-word from the international organisation’s own document.
But it omits four examples from the IHRA list:
– Accusing Jewish people of being more loyal to Israel than their home country;
– Claiming that Israel‘s existence as a state is a racist endeavour;
– Requiring higher standards of behaviour from Israel than other nations; and
– Comparing contemporary Israeli policies to those of the Nazis.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Labour needs to “get it right and listen to people” as he urged a swift resolution to the complaint levelled against Dame Margaret Hodge.
Senior Jewish Labour MP Dame Margaret, who lost family members in the Holocaust, last week confronted Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in Parliament over the party’s response to anti-Semitism.
She later said Mr Corbyn was “now perceived by many as an anti-Semite”.
Asked about potential disciplinary action against Dame Margaret, Mr McDonnell told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “My view is let’s just resolve this very, very quickly – almost drop the complaint and move on, or if someone wants their complaint investigated let’s get that done quickly.”
He added Dame Margaret has a “good heart”, noting: “Sometimes you can express anger – I am one of those people who have in the past – and basically you have to accept that.
“You have to accept sometimes people can be quite heated in their expressions – let’s understand that and just move on.”
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.
