Labour kicks out just 12 members after 673 anti-Semitism claims
LABOUR investigated nearly 700 party members for alleged anti-Semitism last year – but expelled only 12.
As the party’s civil war over antiSemitism continues, Labour’s general secretary Jennie Formby was forced to come clean over the scale of the problem.
Under pressure from her MPs, she said complaints regarding 673 Labour members were received between April 2018 and January 2019 – or 16 every week. Despite this, fewer than half went on to a full probe by a disciplinary body, just six received a sanction and only 12 were kicked out of the party.
Last night senior Jewish Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge said it ‘beggared belief’ that only a dozen people were expelled.
Mrs Formby, a key ally of Jeremy Corbyn, initially refused to publish the figures after the Parliamentary Labour Party voted last week to urge her to do so.
But yesterday she relented following accusations of a cover-up – although she only published totals since April 2018, claiming there was no consistent system for recording them before this date.
Mrs Formby said 433 complaints received between April 2018 and January were not about party members, but that 673 were.
Of these, only 96 were immediately suspended and investigated, and 211 were issued with a ‘notice of investigation’, meaning the case would be looked at in full by a disciplinary body. Another 146 were issued with a ‘reminder of their conduct’ warning. In 220 cases it was deemed there was not sufficient evidence of a breach of party rules.
Of those who were suspended or handed a notice of investigation, just 96 have led to a decision by the ruling NEC’s anti-Semitism disputes panel.
Sixteen were issued with a warning and 25 with a ‘reminder of conduct’. Six were referred for further investigation and seven cases were dropped.
A total of 42 were referred to the National Constitutional Commit-submitted tee, the party’s key disciplinary body. Five members left the party rather than facing this body.
Between April and January, just 18 NCC decisions have been made – with 12 expulsions and six receiving ‘sanctions’. The rest are awaiting the completion of their cases.
But Dame Margaret said she did not believe the figures.
‘Whilst I welcome the fact that the leadership has finally started to release some data, I simply don’t trust the figures,’ he said. ‘I over 200 abusive social media correspondence in October – all from July 2018 – and we only gave the party offensive communications that we thought came from party members, because of hashtags.
‘Some was completely vile and I am just one individual who has been the victim of abuse. To hear that that has resulted in a mere 12 expulsions beggars belief.
‘We need more evidence to convince me that the party is genuinely determined to stamp out anti-Semitism.’
Dame Margaret also pointed out that one of the men who demanded a no-confidence vote in fellow Jewish MP Luciana Berger had been exonerated by the party despite calling her a ‘disruptive Zionist’.
She added: ‘If that’s the standard, then it’s clearly not an acceptable barrier.’
Another Jewish Labour MP, Ruth Smeeth, said last night: ‘We need genuine leadership.’
A Labour spokesman said: ‘ We are committed to tackling antiSemitism and rooting it out of our party once and for all.’
‘These figures beggar belief’