US comic Jon Stewart pokes fun at Labour's clampdown on left-wingers
It comes amid allegations of a witchhunt against Labour’s hard left
JON STEWART WILL RETURN TO HOST THE SATIRICAL COMEDY SERIES THE DAILY SHOW DURING THE 2024 US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FOR ONE DAY A WEEK
US comic Jon Stewart described Labour suspending one of its candidates in north-east London as “the dumbest thing The UK has done since electing Boris Johnson”.
Faiza Shaheen, who ran against former Tory leader Iain Duncan-Smith in Chingford and Woodford Green at the last election, is reported to have been suspended by Labour after she allegedly liked a series of posts on X that downplayed antisemitism accusations.
Among them is said to be a satirical “Israel video sketch” posted online by the US comedian and broadcaster.
When told about it, Stewart responded: “This is the dumbest thing The UK has done since electing Boris Johnson…what the actual f***…”
Ms Shaheen accused the Labour leadership of “double standards” over how she had been treated.
Her suspension along with that of Brighton left-winger Lloyd Russell-Moyle and the confusion over the future of veteran MP Diane Abbott has led to complaints Sir Keir and his allies are carrying out a “cull” of the Labour left.
FAIZA SHAHEEN, PICTURED WITH FORMER LEADER JEREMY CORBYN, IS ON THE LEFT OF THE LABOUR PARTY (GARETH FULLER/PA)
PA ARCHIVE
But Deputy Leader Angela Rayner told the Guardian: “I don’t think it’s a purge.
“I don’t know the details of the individual cases but I do know that we put a robust system in place around vetting and dealing with serious allegations that are made in the party.
“We had to do that because when me and Keir took over the party was failing.”
She told Sky News: “I don’t think Keir is acting in a factional way. You do have factions in the Labour Party.
“But you know, our party will only succeed if we’re a broad church.”
It comes amid allegations of a witchhunt against Labour’s hard left
JON STEWART WILL RETURN TO HOST THE SATIRICAL COMEDY SERIES THE DAILY SHOW DURING THE 2024 US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FOR ONE DAY A WEEK
(PA)
PA ARCHIVE
ROBERT DEX @ROBDEXES
PA ARCHIVE
ROBERT DEX @ROBDEXES
US comic Jon Stewart described Labour suspending one of its candidates in north-east London as “the dumbest thing The UK has done since electing Boris Johnson”.
Faiza Shaheen, who ran against former Tory leader Iain Duncan-Smith in Chingford and Woodford Green at the last election, is reported to have been suspended by Labour after she allegedly liked a series of posts on X that downplayed antisemitism accusations.
Among them is said to be a satirical “Israel video sketch” posted online by the US comedian and broadcaster.
When told about it, Stewart responded: “This is the dumbest thing The UK has done since electing Boris Johnson…what the actual f***…”
Ms Shaheen accused the Labour leadership of “double standards” over how she had been treated.
Her suspension along with that of Brighton left-winger Lloyd Russell-Moyle and the confusion over the future of veteran MP Diane Abbott has led to complaints Sir Keir and his allies are carrying out a “cull” of the Labour left.
FAIZA SHAHEEN, PICTURED WITH FORMER LEADER JEREMY CORBYN, IS ON THE LEFT OF THE LABOUR PARTY (GARETH FULLER/PA)
PA ARCHIVE
But Deputy Leader Angela Rayner told the Guardian: “I don’t think it’s a purge.
“I don’t know the details of the individual cases but I do know that we put a robust system in place around vetting and dealing with serious allegations that are made in the party.
“We had to do that because when me and Keir took over the party was failing.”
She told Sky News: “I don’t think Keir is acting in a factional way. You do have factions in the Labour Party.
“But you know, our party will only succeed if we’re a broad church.”
Is ‘left wing purge’ key to a Starmer election victory?
30 May 2024
Reports that Labour are set to bar Diane Abbott from standing in the general election have sparked outrage, with the veteran MP accusing Keir Starmer of purging the party’s left wing and alienating voters.
But is the Labour leader and his inner circle willing to lose left-wing voters, if it means they can concentrate on winning over disaffected Conservatives and bringing back Labour supporters who were put off by Jeremy Corbyn?
This week, Rishi Sunak has made a slew of policy announcements – national service for teenagers, cutting so-called “Mickey Mouse” university courses, and a tax giveaway for pensioners – this has left many wondering if the Tories have totally given up on young voters.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey was pictured falling – or jumping – off a paddleboard in Lake Windermere, but can the party make a splash across the country or is it just about a few target seats?
In this episode of The Political Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy talks about all this with the Liberal Democrats’ deputy leader Daisy Cooper, former Conservative Universities minister, Lord Johnson, and Meg Hillier, who was Labour Chair of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee and has been the MP in Diane Abbott’s neighbouring constituency for 20 years.
Produced by Calum Fraser, Silvia Maresca, Shaheen Sattar, Rob Thompson and Nick Jackson.
You can listen to, download and subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts here.
Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify, Acast, CastBox and other good podcast apps.
Is Starmer undertaking a ‘purge of the left’?
Cathy Newman: ‘It’s not a Corbynista cull, it’s quality control. That was the way Sir Keir Starmer tried to explain away the row over the growing list of left-wing candidates being stopped from standing for Labour.
He said today he’s entitled to select the highest quality potential MPs. But he and his deputy Angela Rayner seem to be split over whether Diane Abbott should be one of them, as Gary Gibbon reports.’
Jeremy Corbyn says Sir Keir Starmer is 'clearly intervening' in 'purge' of left-wing Labour candidates
The ex-leader, now running as an independent candidate in the general election, said those being blocked from Labour's list had "all spoken out in favour of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza".
Jennifer Scott
Political reporter @NifS
SKY NEWS
Thursday 30 May 2024
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused Sir Keir Starmer of "clearly intervening" in a "purge" of left-wing candidates from the party.
Confusion over whether Diane Abbott will be allowed to stand under Labour's banner on 4 July has dominated headlines in recent days, as well as the suspension of Lloyd Russell-Moyle and the blocking of Faiza Shaheen - with critics of the leadership claiming it is an attack on the left.
But while Sir Keir has continued to say the decisions are not down to him but the party's national executive committee, Mr Corbyn - who is standing as an independent candidate after being expelled from the party himself - focused the blame on his successor.
Speaking to Sky News's political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh about Ms Abbott, Mr Russell-Moyle and Ms Shaheen, the ex-leader said: "The one thing they all have in common, the people that have been purged, is that they're on the left of the party and have all spoken out in favour of an immediate ceasefire and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
He claimed that reports Ms Shaheen was stopped from running over tweets she liked on X regarding Israel were "a bit thin," adding: "The Labour Party's procedures ought to be more robust and more open than that."
And asked about whether Sir Keir was behind the decisions, Mr Corbyn said: "He claims sometimes it's nothing to do with him and other times that he's made the decision. He better make up his mind what it is.
"I think the leader ought to be independent of the other processes. But he clearly is intervening all along the way."
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused Sir Keir Starmer of "clearly intervening" in a "purge" of left-wing candidates from the party.
Confusion over whether Diane Abbott will be allowed to stand under Labour's banner on 4 July has dominated headlines in recent days, as well as the suspension of Lloyd Russell-Moyle and the blocking of Faiza Shaheen - with critics of the leadership claiming it is an attack on the left.
But while Sir Keir has continued to say the decisions are not down to him but the party's national executive committee, Mr Corbyn - who is standing as an independent candidate after being expelled from the party himself - focused the blame on his successor
Speaking to Sky News's political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh about Ms Abbott, Mr Russell-Moyle and Ms Shaheen, the ex-leader said: "The one thing they all have in common, the people that have been purged, is that they're on the left of the party and have all spoken out in favour of an immediate ceasefire and permanent ceasefire in Gaza."
He claimed that reports Ms Shaheen was stopped from running over tweets she liked on X regarding Israel were "a bit thin," adding: "The Labour Party's procedures ought to be more robust and more open than that."
And asked about whether Sir Keir was behind the decisions, Mr Corbyn said: "He claims sometimes it's nothing to do with him and other times that he's made the decision. He better make up his mind what it is.
"I think the leader ought to be independent of the other processes. But he clearly is intervening all along the way."
THE LEFT ARE FINDING OUT THE HARD WAY ABOUT STARMER'S DISTANCING FROM 2019
Thursday 30 May 2024
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused Sir Keir Starmer of "clearly intervening" in a "purge" of left-wing candidates from the party.
Confusion over whether Diane Abbott will be allowed to stand under Labour's banner on 4 July has dominated headlines in recent days, as well as the suspension of Lloyd Russell-Moyle and the blocking of Faiza Shaheen - with critics of the leadership claiming it is an attack on the left.
But while Sir Keir has continued to say the decisions are not down to him but the party's national executive committee, Mr Corbyn - who is standing as an independent candidate after being expelled from the party himself - focused the blame on his successor.
Speaking to Sky News's political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh about Ms Abbott, Mr Russell-Moyle and Ms Shaheen, the ex-leader said: "The one thing they all have in common, the people that have been purged, is that they're on the left of the party and have all spoken out in favour of an immediate ceasefire and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
He claimed that reports Ms Shaheen was stopped from running over tweets she liked on X regarding Israel were "a bit thin," adding: "The Labour Party's procedures ought to be more robust and more open than that."
And asked about whether Sir Keir was behind the decisions, Mr Corbyn said: "He claims sometimes it's nothing to do with him and other times that he's made the decision. He better make up his mind what it is.
"I think the leader ought to be independent of the other processes. But he clearly is intervening all along the way."
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused Sir Keir Starmer of "clearly intervening" in a "purge" of left-wing candidates from the party.
Confusion over whether Diane Abbott will be allowed to stand under Labour's banner on 4 July has dominated headlines in recent days, as well as the suspension of Lloyd Russell-Moyle and the blocking of Faiza Shaheen - with critics of the leadership claiming it is an attack on the left.
But while Sir Keir has continued to say the decisions are not down to him but the party's national executive committee, Mr Corbyn - who is standing as an independent candidate after being expelled from the party himself - focused the blame on his successor
Speaking to Sky News's political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh about Ms Abbott, Mr Russell-Moyle and Ms Shaheen, the ex-leader said: "The one thing they all have in common, the people that have been purged, is that they're on the left of the party and have all spoken out in favour of an immediate ceasefire and permanent ceasefire in Gaza."
He claimed that reports Ms Shaheen was stopped from running over tweets she liked on X regarding Israel were "a bit thin," adding: "The Labour Party's procedures ought to be more robust and more open than that."
And asked about whether Sir Keir was behind the decisions, Mr Corbyn said: "He claims sometimes it's nothing to do with him and other times that he's made the decision. He better make up his mind what it is.
"I think the leader ought to be independent of the other processes. But he clearly is intervening all along the way."
THE LEFT ARE FINDING OUT THE HARD WAY ABOUT STARMER'S DISTANCING FROM 2019
Political correspondent@serenabarksing
Jeremy Corbyn is a figure that has loomed large in this general election campaign - even though he's not been a Labour MP or even in the party at all for some time.
The Conservatives have always tried to align the current Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, to his predecessor in an attempt to conflate their politics.
But the Labour Party is doing all it can to distance itself from the days of 2019 - and members of the Labour left are finding that out the hard way.
Last night, those on the left of the party accused Starmer of a "purge" of left-wing candidates, after a sweep of nominees, who had already begun campaigning in what they'd hoped to be their constituencies, were told they could no longer run for the party.
Faiza Shaheen told me she thought this was not because of any tweets she'd liked, but because of her views on the conflict in Gaza.
Jeremy Corbyn told me he doesn't think the Labour Party looks like a broad church anymore and instead it's a party that only holds "centrist opinions" - and he sees this "purge" as going against anyone with a dissenting opinion.
Sir Keir said today he is not blocking left-wing candidates - he simply wants the "highest quality candidates" in this election.
But it's that comment that has filled many candidates with hot rage. One former senior Labour adviser spoke of the leadership as "little boys drunk on power" - and others are personally offended by what they understand as a personal offence against their character.
They think it doesn't matter about optics because they think the leadership want a fight - they believe the strategy is to look tough on 'radical' voices.
But Faiza Shaheen has been public about the disproportionate number of people of colour who have been affected by the decisions of last night and worries about what it tells voters. "This is not the message Labour should be sending to Black and brown voters," she says.
Others who experienced the purge themselves called Faiza Shaheen's situation a "stitch up" and others have told me the leadership have been hauling in outgoing MPs who have been critical of the leadership for meetings with the leader's office.
Whether this is a concerted strategy or just the culmination of the selection process, the left now believe they know - in the eyes of the newly charged Labour Party - exactly where they stand.
Mr Corbyn had a tumultuous exit from Labour after running the party for four years.
He was first kicked out of the parliamentary party in 2020 after claiming a report into antisemitism under his tenure was "dramatically overstated for political reasons".
But he was ejected from the party entirely after announcing he would be running as an independent candidate in Islington North, having been barred from standing in the seat for Labour.
Mr Corbyn faced his ownJeremy Corbyn says Sir Keir Starmer is 'clearly intervening' in 'purge' of left-wing Labour candidates
The ex-leader, now running as an independent candidate in the general election, said those being blocked from Labour's list had "all spoken out in favour of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza".
Jennifer Scott
Political reporter @NifS
Thursday 30 May 2024
Jeremy Corbyn is a figure that has loomed large in this general election campaign - even though he's not been a Labour MP or even in the party at all for some time.
The Conservatives have always tried to align the current Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, to his predecessor in an attempt to conflate their politics.
But the Labour Party is doing all it can to distance itself from the days of 2019 - and members of the Labour left are finding that out the hard way.
Last night, those on the left of the party accused Starmer of a "purge" of left-wing candidates, after a sweep of nominees, who had already begun campaigning in what they'd hoped to be their constituencies, were told they could no longer run for the party.
Faiza Shaheen told me she thought this was not because of any tweets she'd liked, but because of her views on the conflict in Gaza.
Jeremy Corbyn told me he doesn't think the Labour Party looks like a broad church anymore and instead it's a party that only holds "centrist opinions" - and he sees this "purge" as going against anyone with a dissenting opinion.
Sir Keir said today he is not blocking left-wing candidates - he simply wants the "highest quality candidates" in this election.
But it's that comment that has filled many candidates with hot rage. One former senior Labour adviser spoke of the leadership as "little boys drunk on power" - and others are personally offended by what they understand as a personal offence against their character.
They think it doesn't matter about optics because they think the leadership want a fight - they believe the strategy is to look tough on 'radical' voices.
But Faiza Shaheen has been public about the disproportionate number of people of colour who have been affected by the decisions of last night and worries about what it tells voters. "This is not the message Labour should be sending to Black and brown voters," she says.
Others who experienced the purge themselves called Faiza Shaheen's situation a "stitch up" and others have told me the leadership have been hauling in outgoing MPs who have been critical of the leadership for meetings with the leader's office.
Whether this is a concerted strategy or just the culmination of the selection process, the left now believe they know - in the eyes of the newly charged Labour Party - exactly where they stand.
Mr Corbyn had a tumultuous exit from Labour after running the party for four years.
He was first kicked out of the parliamentary party in 2020 after claiming a report into antisemitism under his tenure was "dramatically overstated for political reasons".
But he was ejected from the party entirely after announcing he would be running as an independent candidate in Islington North, having been barred from standing in the seat for Labour.
Mr Corbyn faced his ownJeremy Corbyn says Sir Keir Starmer is 'clearly intervening' in 'purge' of left-wing Labour candidates
The ex-leader, now running as an independent candidate in the general election, said those being blocked from Labour's list had "all spoken out in favour of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza".
Jennifer Scott
Political reporter @NifS
Thursday 30 May 2024
Tony Blair’s reinvented Labour Party pursues a risky ideological ‘purge’
On the center-left of British politics, current leader Keir Starmer wants to show voters Labour is ready for office again. Not everyone’s on board with his methods.
S
The decades-long feud between Brownites and Blairites still defines some aspects of Labour politics today. | Pool photo by Kirsty O’Connor via Getty Images
MAY 30, 2024
BY TIM ROSS AND STEFAN BOSCIA
On the center-left of British politics, current leader Keir Starmer wants to show voters Labour is ready for office again. Not everyone’s on board with his methods.
S
The decades-long feud between Brownites and Blairites still defines some aspects of Labour politics today. | Pool photo by Kirsty O’Connor via Getty Images
MAY 30, 2024
BY TIM ROSS AND STEFAN BOSCIA
POLITICO
The U.K.’s Labour Party is surging back to power — and tearing itself apart.
For the first time since Tony Blair was its leader in 2005, Labour is on course to win a general election, polling more than 20 points ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s moribund Conservatives.
But Labour’s leader, Keir Starmer, has run into trouble with just five weeks to go before the vote. A bitter and long-running ideological civil war between left-wingers and centrists has flared back into life, reigniting allegations of racism, old tribal disputes and personal feuds. The furor now threatens to disrupt Labour’s seemingly unstoppable march to power.
Starmer likes to give the impression he won the battle for the soul of his party long ago, saving the progressive movement from ruin. A decade and a half in the political wilderness taught him and his team that they need to be moderate, centrist and pragmatic to regain the public’s trust.
Under its previous leader, the radical socialist Jeremy Corbyn, Labour became easy for its opponents to caricature as a gang of hardliners who wanted to renationalize industry, punish the rich, take the U.K. out of NATO and scrap nuclear weapons. Labour under Corbyn was also condemned for failing to stamp out antisemitism.
In 2019, despite winning more votes than Blair did in his 2005 victory, Corbyn’s Labour suffered a crushing defeat — the party’s worst election result since the 1930s.
For more polling data from across Europe visit POLITICO Poll of Polls.
When Starmer took over in 2020, he pledged to reset and win back the voters Corbyn had scared off. The overhaul that followed saw Corbyn and many of his cohorts exit the stage.
This week, the remaining Corbynite socialists on Labour’s hard-left flank found a new cause to rally behind.
One of the party’s most famous politicians, the U.K.’s first Black female MP, Diane Abbott, is claiming Starmer’s team have banned her from standing as a Labour candidate in the July 4 election.
Starmer has said this is factually incorrect, but that hasn’t stopped Abbott and her allies crying foul and the leader’s team seems unsure how to respond.
At first, it seemed Starmer’s officials seemed happy enough to have the fight with Abbott’s backers — who were also Corbyn’s backers. They thought it proved his point that Labour had moved on from the bad old days of election-losing, hard-left failure.
But by Thursday, the dispute was in danger of spiraling out of Starmer’s control. Abbott vowed to defy the leadership and stand in her old seat regardless of whether she’s denied Labour backing. Corbyn had already announced he’ll stand as an independent candidate in his old seat. Faiza Shaheen, another leftwing candidate who’s been denied the chance to stand for Labour, is threatening legal action.
The concern for Starmer is that Abbott, who was suspended last year after saying Jewish people did not face racism in the same way Black people do, will ultimately win a PR battle, even one that is most closely followed by political obsessives on the British left.
On Thursday, Starmer tried to dampen the flames, praising Abbott as a trailblazer. His deputy, Angela Rayner went even further, saying she saw no reason why Abbott could not stand again to be a Labour member of Parliament.
But there are other fracture lines not far beneath the surface of Starmer’s ship. In common with parties on the left around the world, the Labour family has been bitterly divided over how to respond to the Israel-Hamas war. Watered-down climate commitments and Starmer’s restrained tax and spending policies are also sore points for many Labour supporters.
No doubt the damage of the Abbott row would be worse if Labour were not 20 points ahead in the polls and Sunak’s Conservatives were a united fighting machine. Luckily for Starmer, the Tories are even more divided than Labour and show no signs of turning their fortunes around.
But there’s a warning light here for any future Labour administration. Blair’s three election victories represent the most successful period in the party’s history and Starmer has consciously sought to replicate some elements of Blairism. But that time in office was marred by the toxic infighting and a spectacular breakdown in relations between Blair and his chancellor Gordon Brown. The decades-long feud between Brownites and Blairites still defines some aspects of Labour politics today.
If there’s one thing some British progressives still seem to love more than fighting Tories, it’s fighting themselves.
The U.K.’s Labour Party is surging back to power — and tearing itself apart.
For the first time since Tony Blair was its leader in 2005, Labour is on course to win a general election, polling more than 20 points ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s moribund Conservatives.
But Labour’s leader, Keir Starmer, has run into trouble with just five weeks to go before the vote. A bitter and long-running ideological civil war between left-wingers and centrists has flared back into life, reigniting allegations of racism, old tribal disputes and personal feuds. The furor now threatens to disrupt Labour’s seemingly unstoppable march to power.
Starmer likes to give the impression he won the battle for the soul of his party long ago, saving the progressive movement from ruin. A decade and a half in the political wilderness taught him and his team that they need to be moderate, centrist and pragmatic to regain the public’s trust.
Under its previous leader, the radical socialist Jeremy Corbyn, Labour became easy for its opponents to caricature as a gang of hardliners who wanted to renationalize industry, punish the rich, take the U.K. out of NATO and scrap nuclear weapons. Labour under Corbyn was also condemned for failing to stamp out antisemitism.
In 2019, despite winning more votes than Blair did in his 2005 victory, Corbyn’s Labour suffered a crushing defeat — the party’s worst election result since the 1930s.
For more polling data from across Europe visit POLITICO Poll of Polls.
When Starmer took over in 2020, he pledged to reset and win back the voters Corbyn had scared off. The overhaul that followed saw Corbyn and many of his cohorts exit the stage.
This week, the remaining Corbynite socialists on Labour’s hard-left flank found a new cause to rally behind.
One of the party’s most famous politicians, the U.K.’s first Black female MP, Diane Abbott, is claiming Starmer’s team have banned her from standing as a Labour candidate in the July 4 election.
Starmer has said this is factually incorrect, but that hasn’t stopped Abbott and her allies crying foul and the leader’s team seems unsure how to respond.
At first, it seemed Starmer’s officials seemed happy enough to have the fight with Abbott’s backers — who were also Corbyn’s backers. They thought it proved his point that Labour had moved on from the bad old days of election-losing, hard-left failure.
But by Thursday, the dispute was in danger of spiraling out of Starmer’s control. Abbott vowed to defy the leadership and stand in her old seat regardless of whether she’s denied Labour backing. Corbyn had already announced he’ll stand as an independent candidate in his old seat. Faiza Shaheen, another leftwing candidate who’s been denied the chance to stand for Labour, is threatening legal action.
The concern for Starmer is that Abbott, who was suspended last year after saying Jewish people did not face racism in the same way Black people do, will ultimately win a PR battle, even one that is most closely followed by political obsessives on the British left.
On Thursday, Starmer tried to dampen the flames, praising Abbott as a trailblazer. His deputy, Angela Rayner went even further, saying she saw no reason why Abbott could not stand again to be a Labour member of Parliament.
But there are other fracture lines not far beneath the surface of Starmer’s ship. In common with parties on the left around the world, the Labour family has been bitterly divided over how to respond to the Israel-Hamas war. Watered-down climate commitments and Starmer’s restrained tax and spending policies are also sore points for many Labour supporters.
No doubt the damage of the Abbott row would be worse if Labour were not 20 points ahead in the polls and Sunak’s Conservatives were a united fighting machine. Luckily for Starmer, the Tories are even more divided than Labour and show no signs of turning their fortunes around.
But there’s a warning light here for any future Labour administration. Blair’s three election victories represent the most successful period in the party’s history and Starmer has consciously sought to replicate some elements of Blairism. But that time in office was marred by the toxic infighting and a spectacular breakdown in relations between Blair and his chancellor Gordon Brown. The decades-long feud between Brownites and Blairites still defines some aspects of Labour politics today.
If there’s one thing some British progressives still seem to love more than fighting Tories, it’s fighting themselves.
If Starmer is ruthless, he needs to resolve 'purge' row quickly - as Labour faces first election crisis
Labour high command knew "wobbles" would come, but this one is dominating what was at first a slick election campaign for the party, Beth Rigby writes.
Beth Rigby
Political editor @BethRigby
SKY NEWS
Thursday 30 May 2024
Image:Pic: Thabo Jaiyesimi/Shutterstock
When I asked Sir Keir Starmer a couple of weeks back if he was ruthless, he said he was - but qualified it.
His ruthlessness was trained firmly on trying to get a Labour government that "could change this country for the better".
He was "not ruthless for [his] own ambition" - nor was it ruthlessness for the Labour Party, he said.
"I'm ruthless for the country," said Sir Keir. "The only way we'll bring about change in the country is if we are ruthless about wining the general election."
But that ruthlessness is now blowing up and knocking the party's election campaign off course.
Politics live: Another Conservative defects to Labour
Labour high command knew "wobbles" would come, but this one is dominating what was at first a slick election campaign for the party, Beth Rigby writes.
Beth Rigby
Political editor @BethRigby
SKY NEWS
Thursday 30 May 2024
Image:Pic: Thabo Jaiyesimi/ShutterstockWhen I asked Sir Keir Starmer a couple of weeks back if he was ruthless, he said he was - but qualified it.
His ruthlessness was trained firmly on trying to get a Labour government that "could change this country for the better".
He was "not ruthless for [his] own ambition" - nor was it ruthlessness for the Labour Party, he said.
"I'm ruthless for the country," said Sir Keir. "The only way we'll bring about change in the country is if we are ruthless about wining the general election."
But that ruthlessness is now blowing up and knocking the party's election campaign off course.
Politics live: Another Conservative defects to Labour
8:56'Ruthless' Starmer tells Sky News he would stop Rwanda flights
After a slick first week, Labour is having its first crisis, as the row over whether to de-select Diane Abbott has seized the headlines and muddied the message.
It has prompted, not just open splits at the top of the party, but wider questions about whether Starmer is purging the Labour Party as left-wing candidates are blocked from standing and loyalists are being drafted into safe seats.
Ms Abbott herself has called it a purge, while Andrew Fisher, who worked in Jeremy Corbyn's team, asked: "Is it racism, sexism, factionalism or a combination of all? Either way, it looks appalling."
After previously iron-tight discipline, the party is beginning to fray at the edges.
Ms Rayner, the most senior woman in the party, came to Ms Abbott's defence today, telling me on the Sky News Daily podcast that she should be allowed to stand if that is what she would like to do.
Yvette Cooper has also weighed in, describing Ms Abbott as a trailblazer and a "really important figure in the Labour party".
Starmer, for his part, says the decision hasn't been taken and will be made by the party's national executive committee.
But there is clear a split - and it looks ill-disciplined at exactly the time when the party needs to show the public that it is not another version of the warring Tories.
Ms Rayner was careful not to lay the blame of this at the feet of Starmer.
She told me when I asked if the party leader was trying to purge the left that she "didn't think Keir was acting in a factional way" - but that doesn't mean others are not.
When I asked her about what Andrew Fisher had said about this being a very bad look for the party, Ms Rayner said: "It's not a great look the way Diane was briefed against."
After a slick first week, Labour is having its first crisis, as the row over whether to de-select Diane Abbott has seized the headlines and muddied the message.
It has prompted, not just open splits at the top of the party, but wider questions about whether Starmer is purging the Labour Party as left-wing candidates are blocked from standing and loyalists are being drafted into safe seats.
Ms Abbott herself has called it a purge, while Andrew Fisher, who worked in Jeremy Corbyn's team, asked: "Is it racism, sexism, factionalism or a combination of all? Either way, it looks appalling."
After previously iron-tight discipline, the party is beginning to fray at the edges.
Ms Rayner, the most senior woman in the party, came to Ms Abbott's defence today, telling me on the Sky News Daily podcast that she should be allowed to stand if that is what she would like to do.
Yvette Cooper has also weighed in, describing Ms Abbott as a trailblazer and a "really important figure in the Labour party".
Starmer, for his part, says the decision hasn't been taken and will be made by the party's national executive committee.
But there is clear a split - and it looks ill-disciplined at exactly the time when the party needs to show the public that it is not another version of the warring Tories.
Ms Rayner was careful not to lay the blame of this at the feet of Starmer.
She told me when I asked if the party leader was trying to purge the left that she "didn't think Keir was acting in a factional way" - but that doesn't mean others are not.
When I asked her about what Andrew Fisher had said about this being a very bad look for the party, Ms Rayner said: "It's not a great look the way Diane was briefed against."
1:47Rayner: 'No reason why Abbott can't stand as Labour MP'
The briefings in The Times newspaper on Thursday night that Ms Abbott was going to be barred from standing, promoting her defiant response and a rally outside Hackney Town Hall, has taken the issue from being relatively contained to out of control.
And this is the dilemma for Starmer. If he is ruthless about changing Britain, the fewer left-wing firebrands on his benches, the better.
If he only wins a small majority, he needs the support of all his MPs and can ill-afford a left faction frustrating his government.
So de-selecting potentially unruly future MPs and replacing them with loyalists makes perfect ruthless sense.
But when does being ruthless tip over into something more sinister, that seems unfair and actually turns voters off?
Perhaps the Labour high command thinks they can ride it out, purge these left-wingers and the news cycle moves on.
But the party already has a big problem in what are supposedly safe seats with the Muslim community that are angry over their stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
They are also facing an independent Jeremy Corbyn in Islington North.
Does the party really want to kick out the first-ever black woman MP from the party, too?
One senior Labour figure insists to me that this is not a purge and that it's "important" to see all these cases differently.
But even if that is the intention, it is not how it's being received among big chunks of Labour backers and voters.
If Sir Keir Starmer is really ruthless about winning this election, he might be advised to resolve this issue - and quickly.
As Rayner acknowledged, it has become a distraction and that will be - in her words - a "frustration" to Starmer.
His top team have long said they will have wobbles along the way and what's important is how it is handled.
This one needs sorting.
The briefings in The Times newspaper on Thursday night that Ms Abbott was going to be barred from standing, promoting her defiant response and a rally outside Hackney Town Hall, has taken the issue from being relatively contained to out of control.
And this is the dilemma for Starmer. If he is ruthless about changing Britain, the fewer left-wing firebrands on his benches, the better.
If he only wins a small majority, he needs the support of all his MPs and can ill-afford a left faction frustrating his government.
So de-selecting potentially unruly future MPs and replacing them with loyalists makes perfect ruthless sense.
But when does being ruthless tip over into something more sinister, that seems unfair and actually turns voters off?
Perhaps the Labour high command thinks they can ride it out, purge these left-wingers and the news cycle moves on.
But the party already has a big problem in what are supposedly safe seats with the Muslim community that are angry over their stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
They are also facing an independent Jeremy Corbyn in Islington North.
Does the party really want to kick out the first-ever black woman MP from the party, too?
One senior Labour figure insists to me that this is not a purge and that it's "important" to see all these cases differently.
But even if that is the intention, it is not how it's being received among big chunks of Labour backers and voters.
If Sir Keir Starmer is really ruthless about winning this election, he might be advised to resolve this issue - and quickly.
As Rayner acknowledged, it has become a distraction and that will be - in her words - a "frustration" to Starmer.
His top team have long said they will have wobbles along the way and what's important is how it is handled.
This one needs sorting.
‘I will not be intimidated’: Diane Abbott vows to fight General Election despite being ‘banned’ from standing for Labour
'Diane Abbott has always been standing up and has always been put down.'
By Kieran Kelly@kellyjourno
30 May 2024
Diane Abbott has insisted she will stand as an MP following reports she has been "barred" by the Labour leadership from standing under the party's banner.
It emerged on Tuesday evening that Ms Abbott had the Labour whip restored following an investigation into comments she made about the Jewish community.
But Labour has reportedly banned Ms Abbott from standing under the party banner, meaning she will likely fight for re-election as an independent.
"For as long as it is possible, I will be the member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington," Ms Abbott said on the steps of Hackney Town hall on Wednesday evening.
She insisted evening that she was "shocked" to learned she would be banned.
"They haven't personally communicated with me personally," Ms Abbott added.
But the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer insisted "this is not true" and that "no decision has been made".
Following a report in The Times, Ms Abbott claimed that she had been "banned" from standing as a Labour candidate in July's General Election.
Ms Abbott said this morning: "Although the whip has been restored, I am banned from standing as a Labour candidate."
She went on to confirm her statement writing online this morning: "Naturally I am delighted to have the Labour Whip restored and to be a member of the PLP.
"Thank you to all those who supported me along the way. I will be campaigning for a Labour victory. But I am very dismayed that numerous reports suggest I have been barred as a candidate."
Labour sources told The Telegraph that senior figures in the party are trying to reach a “soft landing” for the MP whereby she can “go with grace”.
Read more: ‘Cutting NHS waiting lists is our priority’: Starmer unveils ‘first steps’ for Government if elected into Downing Street
Read more: Iain Dale to step down from LBC to put himself forward to be selected as a candidate for MP in the General Election
Sir Keir has come under pressure over Diane Abbott's candidacy, after it emerged she had the Labour whip restored on Tuesday following its withdrawal in April last year over comments she made about racism.
The Labour leader continued to refuse to say whether the veteran MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington would be allowed to stand under his party's banner on July 4
Follow the LBC live General Election blog for all the twists and turns of the campaign train and listen live to LBC on Global Player, our official app
He faced renewed questions after it was reported an internal investigation into Ms Abbott was completed five months ago, but insisted the matter would be resolved by Labour's National Executive Committee "in due course".
Former Labour leader and independent MP Jeremy Corbyn has told LBC's Fraser Knight he will support Ms Abbott as she plans to stand to be the MP for Hackney North.
"I've spent my life fighting for justice, peace and socialism - sometimes you have to fight back against the people who attack us. It's not me they are attacking, or Diane they are attacking, it's the people here," Mr Corbyn told LBC.
Corbyn's message to Starmer
"The Labour party ought to be a broad church and any movement that tends to represent working class has to be a broad inclusive church. You don't achieve things by driving people out - only by bringing people in," the former Labour leader said.
Thousands more back Diane Abbott
Labour Lords have written to Keir Starmer saying she should stand, while Young Labour and Labour Students’ members from across the country have also spoken out, reports the Labour Assembly Against Austerity.
Two well-respected, decades-long labour movement campaigners who are current Labour members of the House of Lords have written to Keir Starmer to deliver on behalf of its signatories a petition in support of Diane Abbott. It has been signed by over 17,500 people from over 550 parliamentary constituencies.
Their letter reads as follows:
“Dear Sir Keir,
We are writing to draw your attention to the fact that over 17,5000 people have now signed this petition in support of the PLP whip to be restored to Diane Abbott petition.
In light of this level of support, the idea that Diane Abbott should not also be permitted to stand as a Labour Party candidate in the forthcoming general election is unthinkable.
As the General Secretaries of ASLEF, the CWU, FBU, NUM, TSSA and Unite said in their recent letter to you on this matter, “For over thirty years – since becoming the first Black woman ever elected to parliament – Diane has stood in every election as a Labour Party candidate.
“We believe that the whip should be restored to Diane and that she should be confirmed as the candidate at the general election for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, which she has represented for so long.”
Yours,
Baroness Christine Blower & Lord John Hendy KC.”
Baroness Christine Blower said:“Diane has been a stalwart of the Labour Party and an inspiration to so many. It is indeed unthinkable that she shouldn’t be a Labour Candidate in this election.”
Lord John Hendy KC, added: “The idea that Diane Abbott should not be permitted to stand as a Labour Party candidate in the forthcoming general election is unthinkable. It would be the ultimate insult on top of the catalogue of vile abuse she suffered at the hands of the Party recorded by Martin Forde KC in his Report. It must not happen.”
The petition was initiated by the Labour Assembly Against Austerity and Arise – A Festival of Left Ideas. Commenting on behalf of the two organisations, Matt Willgress said: “Each day we see illustrations of the growing support there is for Diane across the whole Labour Party and trade union movement and beyond. The message from thousands of us is clear – let Diane Stand!”
Meanwhile, Young Labour and Labour Students members from across the country have called on Keir Starmer to confirm that Diane Abbott will be allowed to stand as a Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington. Their statement reads as follows:
“As young people and students who are members of the Labour Party, we urge you to confirm that Diane Abbott will be allowed to be the Parliamentary candidate for Labour in her constituency now that the whip has been restored.
Diane is a trailblazer who inspires thousands of young people across the country, and is a valuable, popular asset to our party amongst young voters.
If the PLP can be a broad enough church to host Natalie Elphicke, then it can surely find a space for Diane, who voters in Hackney clearly wish to be their Labour MP.”
The Open Letter’s initial signatories included Aaron Stringer, Nottinghamshire Young Labour; Anya Wilkinson, Lancaster University Labour Club; Alec Severs, Manchester Labour Students; Alex Bourne, Derbyshire Young Labour; Alex Burt, Leicester Young Labour; Alexy King, NTU Labour Society; Django Perks, Yorkshire and Humber Young Labou; Emily Payne, Warwick University Labour Society; Erin Hall, Lancaster University Labour Club; Fraser McGuire, Manchester Labour Students; Harriet Limb, Derbyshire Young Labour; Harry Wrench, Lancaster University Labour Club; James Varney, Warwick University Labour Society; Liv Marshall, Nottinghamshire Young Labour; Luca Dunmore, Cambridge University Labour Club; Niamh Iliff, Nottingham Labour Students; Ollie Chapman, Warwick University Labour Society; Ollie Probert-Hill, North West Young Labour; Oliver Mousley, Derby Labour Students; Rufus Sammels-Moore, Derbyshire Young Labour; Sohail Hussain, Birmingham University Labour Society; Vanisha Karna, South East Young Labour; Will Jones, Liverpool Labour Students; Zack Hayward, Cambridge University Labour Club.
The petition supporting Diane can be viewed here. The petition has also been supported by numerous prominent figures on social media including MPs in the last Parliament Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Beth Winter, Richard Leonard, Richard Burgon, Apsana Begum, Jon Trickett, Nadia Whittome and Ian Lavery.
The General Secretaries of six affiliated trade unions – ASLEF, CWU, FBU, NUM, TSSA and Unite – recently wrote a letter to Keir Starmer asking for the whip to be restored and Diane to be a Labour candidate. It can be read here.
Starmer Is Purging Women of Colour
ByTaj Ali
ByTaj Ali
30.05.2024
THE TRIBUNE
Labour’s disgraceful treatment of Diane Abbott and Faiza Shaheen sends a very clear message to Black and Asian voters — give us your votes and know your place, or face humiliation.
(Photo by Hollie Adams/Getty Images)
‘Honestly I’m so shocked right now, to be treated this badly,’ said a visibly shaken Faiza Shaheen, on the verge of tears last night. She was on Newsnight, describing how she’d been sent an email an hour earlier telling her she was being deselected as the Labour candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green. Shaheen, a British-Pakistani woman, the daughter of a car mechanic, is the latest casualty of Starmer’s purge. Her crime? Detailing her own experiences of Islamophobia within the party and liking a tweet of a Jon Stewart sketch from many years ago.
It comes just a day after Labour sources briefed the Times that Diane Abbott, Britain’s first Black woman MP, would be barred from standing as Labour’s candidate in Hackney. This isn’t the first time Abbott has been humiliated by the party. The former Shadow Home Secretary received half of all abusive tweets sent to female MPs in the run-up to the 2017 general election, according to research by Amnesty International. A Labour document, leaked in April 2020, revealed WhatsApp messages showing that when Abbott was found crying in the toilets in the wake of such abuse, senior Labour staffers were mocking and insulting her.
The few remaining Socialist Campaign Group MPs in the party have remained tight-lipped about the whole ordeal, fearful that they might be next. This is the culture of fear that Starmer’s bully boys have created within the party. Where speaking up on genocide in Gaza or expressing concerns about Labour’s lack of ambition on tackling child poverty is perceived to be a punishable offence. Dissent will be crushed. Racism will be tolerated. And pluralism is as ugly a word as socialism. Welcome to Keir’s Starmer’s changed Labour Party.
If you’re a white male MP like Barry Sheerman, who happens to be an ally of the current leadership, you can joke about how there’s been a ‘run on silver shekels’ when two Jewish businessmen miss out on peerages, and get a slap on the wrist. If you’re a Black woman MP like Kate Osamor and you highlight genocide in Gaza, you will be suspended for months and ordered to repent for your sins.
Speaking in Monmouthshire today, Keir Starmer said he wanted ‘the highest quality candidates’ to stand. A white male MP like Neil Coyle, who is firmly on the party’s right, can racially abuse journalists and have a complaint of sexual harassment upheld against them and still be on the ballot paper at the next election, while a socialist Black woman like Diane Abbott, who has given 4 decades of service to the party, is deemed unfit to stand for office for ill-judged comments in a letter that she apologised for straightaway.
This is a party that welcomes right-wing Tory MPs like Natalie Elphicke — a woman who used a debate about Boris Johnson’s misconduct to demonise refugees, launched an unhinged attack on Marcus Rashford’s campaigning on child poverty and was suspended from the Commons for trying to ‘improperly influence’ the penalty meted out to her sex offender husband.
This was never about standards. And it is about more than just factionalism. It is a continuation of a trend where outspoken Black and Asian members of the party are treated with utter disdain.
The Forde report, released in 2022 after a 2-year delay, accused the party of ‘operating a hierarchy of racism or discrimination’, with many forms of racism and discrimination being ignored. It noted that ‘the criticisms of Diane Abbott are not simply a harsh response to perceived poor performance—they are expressions of visceral disgust, drawing on racist tropes, and they bear little resemblance to the criticisms of white male MPs elsewhere in the messages.’ Over 1,100 submissions were made to the inquiry, detailing widespread anti-Black racism and Islamophobia within the party. One witness said: ‘I write this submission to you feeling degraded, overlooked and insulted on so many levels. I am a prime example of why so many say the party has a problem with race. It is why you can count on one hand the number of senior Black women in the party, and on multiple hands the number of Black people that have left.’
Just a few weeks before the Forde Report was published, Apsana Begum, the first hijab-wearing Muslim MP, and a survivor of domestic abuse, was signed off work by her GP following an alleged campaign of misogynistic abuse in her local party. The Labour leadership failed to intervene.
And a survey in 2020 by the Labour Muslim Network prior to the release of the Forde report found 1 in 3 Muslim members of the party had experienced Islamophobia, and more than half of those surveyed said they didn’t trust the Labour leadership to tackle it.
The Labour leadership like to claim that they have put all of this behind them, but just last year, Black Labour MPs wrote a letter to Keir Starmer, demanding urgent action from the Labour leadership to tackle anti-black racism. A section of the letter, shared with Channel 4 News, read, ‘Despite our Party’s claims to be anti-racist… We, our members and supporters are losing faith in the ability and commitment of this leadership to tackle the issues raised in the Forde report and we demand urgent action.’
Over four decades ago, an almighty struggle was waged to ensure greater Black representation in the party. The Labour Party Black Sections went up against numerous barriers, including Neil Kinnock’s controversial decision to block Martha Osamor from standing in Vauxhall. Minority communities were seen in a similar manner to the broader Left — a problem to be contained rather than a vital part of Labour’s supposed broad church.
From defending the rights of refugees to calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, it has often been Black and Asian MPs unapologetically championing the demands of the communities they represent who have been on the receiving end of deselection attempts and purges. For the Labour leadership, it is far easier to backtrack on their support for Kashmir or ditch any reference to systemic racism when critical Black and Asian voices are no longer in the room.
The Labour Right control the internal apparatus of the party and clamp down on any dissent but they cannot control the public mood outside Westminster. The return of mass politics, as demonstrated by the hundreds of thousands marching for a ceasefire in Gaza while frontbenchers were briefing against it will prove to be a serious thorn in the side of an incoming Labour Government. The last few days have demonstrated that even Starmer can’t control the right-wing clique that now runs the party. Its briefings, from racist dog whistles comparing Muslim voters to Hamas in the West Midlands to determining the fate of those Black and Muslim politicians they despise, illustrate not just a hideous rot at the top of the party but immaturity and arrogance in equal measure. And it will come back to haunt them.
Labour’s strategy of targeting swing voters in marginal seats at the expense of their traditional voters will almost certainly win a sizeable majority in the upcoming election. But history tells us that disregarding loyal supporters will have long-term consequences. Black and Asian voters disproportionately reside in Labour’s traditional working-class heartlands. Voters made their anger on Gaza clear in the Rochdale by-election and in recent local elections where the party lost support in places like Oldham, Bradford, Newcastle and Blackburn.
The rise of the Scottish National Party, UKIP, and the Brexit Party is a cautionary tale of what happens when loyal party supporters feel they are not being listened to. ‘Hold your nose and vote Labour to get the Tories out,’ we are told.
As the stench of Islamophobia and anti-Black racism in the party gets stronger, many are, indeed, holding their noses. Labour’s contempt for our communities stinks.
About the Author
Taj Ali is the editor of Tribune.
Labour’s disgraceful treatment of Diane Abbott and Faiza Shaheen sends a very clear message to Black and Asian voters — give us your votes and know your place, or face humiliation.
(Photo by Hollie Adams/Getty Images)
‘Honestly I’m so shocked right now, to be treated this badly,’ said a visibly shaken Faiza Shaheen, on the verge of tears last night. She was on Newsnight, describing how she’d been sent an email an hour earlier telling her she was being deselected as the Labour candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green. Shaheen, a British-Pakistani woman, the daughter of a car mechanic, is the latest casualty of Starmer’s purge. Her crime? Detailing her own experiences of Islamophobia within the party and liking a tweet of a Jon Stewart sketch from many years ago.
It comes just a day after Labour sources briefed the Times that Diane Abbott, Britain’s first Black woman MP, would be barred from standing as Labour’s candidate in Hackney. This isn’t the first time Abbott has been humiliated by the party. The former Shadow Home Secretary received half of all abusive tweets sent to female MPs in the run-up to the 2017 general election, according to research by Amnesty International. A Labour document, leaked in April 2020, revealed WhatsApp messages showing that when Abbott was found crying in the toilets in the wake of such abuse, senior Labour staffers were mocking and insulting her.
The few remaining Socialist Campaign Group MPs in the party have remained tight-lipped about the whole ordeal, fearful that they might be next. This is the culture of fear that Starmer’s bully boys have created within the party. Where speaking up on genocide in Gaza or expressing concerns about Labour’s lack of ambition on tackling child poverty is perceived to be a punishable offence. Dissent will be crushed. Racism will be tolerated. And pluralism is as ugly a word as socialism. Welcome to Keir’s Starmer’s changed Labour Party.
If you’re a white male MP like Barry Sheerman, who happens to be an ally of the current leadership, you can joke about how there’s been a ‘run on silver shekels’ when two Jewish businessmen miss out on peerages, and get a slap on the wrist. If you’re a Black woman MP like Kate Osamor and you highlight genocide in Gaza, you will be suspended for months and ordered to repent for your sins.
Speaking in Monmouthshire today, Keir Starmer said he wanted ‘the highest quality candidates’ to stand. A white male MP like Neil Coyle, who is firmly on the party’s right, can racially abuse journalists and have a complaint of sexual harassment upheld against them and still be on the ballot paper at the next election, while a socialist Black woman like Diane Abbott, who has given 4 decades of service to the party, is deemed unfit to stand for office for ill-judged comments in a letter that she apologised for straightaway.
This is a party that welcomes right-wing Tory MPs like Natalie Elphicke — a woman who used a debate about Boris Johnson’s misconduct to demonise refugees, launched an unhinged attack on Marcus Rashford’s campaigning on child poverty and was suspended from the Commons for trying to ‘improperly influence’ the penalty meted out to her sex offender husband.
This was never about standards. And it is about more than just factionalism. It is a continuation of a trend where outspoken Black and Asian members of the party are treated with utter disdain.
The Forde report, released in 2022 after a 2-year delay, accused the party of ‘operating a hierarchy of racism or discrimination’, with many forms of racism and discrimination being ignored. It noted that ‘the criticisms of Diane Abbott are not simply a harsh response to perceived poor performance—they are expressions of visceral disgust, drawing on racist tropes, and they bear little resemblance to the criticisms of white male MPs elsewhere in the messages.’ Over 1,100 submissions were made to the inquiry, detailing widespread anti-Black racism and Islamophobia within the party. One witness said: ‘I write this submission to you feeling degraded, overlooked and insulted on so many levels. I am a prime example of why so many say the party has a problem with race. It is why you can count on one hand the number of senior Black women in the party, and on multiple hands the number of Black people that have left.’
Just a few weeks before the Forde Report was published, Apsana Begum, the first hijab-wearing Muslim MP, and a survivor of domestic abuse, was signed off work by her GP following an alleged campaign of misogynistic abuse in her local party. The Labour leadership failed to intervene.
And a survey in 2020 by the Labour Muslim Network prior to the release of the Forde report found 1 in 3 Muslim members of the party had experienced Islamophobia, and more than half of those surveyed said they didn’t trust the Labour leadership to tackle it.
The Labour leadership like to claim that they have put all of this behind them, but just last year, Black Labour MPs wrote a letter to Keir Starmer, demanding urgent action from the Labour leadership to tackle anti-black racism. A section of the letter, shared with Channel 4 News, read, ‘Despite our Party’s claims to be anti-racist… We, our members and supporters are losing faith in the ability and commitment of this leadership to tackle the issues raised in the Forde report and we demand urgent action.’
Over four decades ago, an almighty struggle was waged to ensure greater Black representation in the party. The Labour Party Black Sections went up against numerous barriers, including Neil Kinnock’s controversial decision to block Martha Osamor from standing in Vauxhall. Minority communities were seen in a similar manner to the broader Left — a problem to be contained rather than a vital part of Labour’s supposed broad church.
From defending the rights of refugees to calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, it has often been Black and Asian MPs unapologetically championing the demands of the communities they represent who have been on the receiving end of deselection attempts and purges. For the Labour leadership, it is far easier to backtrack on their support for Kashmir or ditch any reference to systemic racism when critical Black and Asian voices are no longer in the room.
The Labour Right control the internal apparatus of the party and clamp down on any dissent but they cannot control the public mood outside Westminster. The return of mass politics, as demonstrated by the hundreds of thousands marching for a ceasefire in Gaza while frontbenchers were briefing against it will prove to be a serious thorn in the side of an incoming Labour Government. The last few days have demonstrated that even Starmer can’t control the right-wing clique that now runs the party. Its briefings, from racist dog whistles comparing Muslim voters to Hamas in the West Midlands to determining the fate of those Black and Muslim politicians they despise, illustrate not just a hideous rot at the top of the party but immaturity and arrogance in equal measure. And it will come back to haunt them.
Labour’s strategy of targeting swing voters in marginal seats at the expense of their traditional voters will almost certainly win a sizeable majority in the upcoming election. But history tells us that disregarding loyal supporters will have long-term consequences. Black and Asian voters disproportionately reside in Labour’s traditional working-class heartlands. Voters made their anger on Gaza clear in the Rochdale by-election and in recent local elections where the party lost support in places like Oldham, Bradford, Newcastle and Blackburn.
The rise of the Scottish National Party, UKIP, and the Brexit Party is a cautionary tale of what happens when loyal party supporters feel they are not being listened to. ‘Hold your nose and vote Labour to get the Tories out,’ we are told.
As the stench of Islamophobia and anti-Black racism in the party gets stronger, many are, indeed, holding their noses. Labour’s contempt for our communities stinks.
About the Author
Taj Ali is the editor of Tribune.
