SIR KEIR KEEPS PURGING THE LEFT
Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘Jewish liaison officer’ expelled by Labour in anti-Semitism row

Dominic Penna
Fri, December 23, 2022 

Jeremy Corbyn Heather Mendick Labour anti-Semitism - Geoff Pugh for The Telegraph/YouTube/Heather Mendick

A woman appointed by Jeremy Corbyn to rebuild Labour’s relations with the Jewish community has been expelled by the party after accusations she “undermined” its fight against anti-Semitism.

Heather Mendick, who is Jewish, was appointed as a stakeholder officer by the former opposition leader in spring 2019, working one day a week liaising with the Jewish community.

Labour’s investigation into Ms Mendick lasted more than a year and found that she broke party rules in a number of tweets sent at the height of the party’s anti-Semitism crisis that she subsequently refused to apologise for.

On her suspension, the party had said her behaviour “undermines the party’s ability to campaign against racism, and/or makes mendacious, dehumanising, demonising or stereotypical allegations about Jews... and/or may reasonably be seen to involve anti-Semitic actions, stereotypes and sentiments”.

Ms Mendick’s comments included a tweet that read: “The weaponisation of anti-Semitism against the Left and how it is used to silence criticism of Israel are well-rehearsed.”

In Aug 2018, she claimed the row in the party “was neither a rational not a proportionate response to incidences [sic] of anti-Semitism”, while a tweet in Jan 2019 said: “The false narrative of anti-Semitism being rife in Labour needed to be challenged from the start.”

In a post the following month, she said: “Key [Labour] people said there’s a big problem and education’s needed. This supported the narrative of those weaponising anti-Semitism.”

Ms Mendick was also found to have disclosed “confidential matters” by publicly sharing the detailed investigation notices she was sent last year, which set out the accusations against her.

During a 25-minute video posted on YouTube this week, she said: “I feel relieved. The Labour Party is a cesspit. It’s been tiring to be a member in these circumstances, and I don’t have to do that anymore. In fact, I can’t do that anymore.”

Ms Mendick told The Telegraph: “This is not just about me. So many people I know who worked really hard for the Labour Party, often giving years of their lives to it, are being treated appallingly by the party we loved.”

Mr Corbyn was suspended from Labour in 2020 after refusing to retract his claims that anti-Semitism in the party was “dramatically overstated” for political reasons.

An Equality and Human Rights Commission report examined the situation under his leadership identified serious failings in addressing anti-Semitism and an inadequate process for handling complaints.

The Labour Party confirmed Ms Mendick’s expulsion, but declined to comment further.