Corbyn: I’m too busy to go to Israel event
So how come he went to THREE other receptions?
JEREMY CORBYN was accused of fuelling his party’s anti-Semitism row last night after he snubbed a reception for the Labour Friends of Israel.
He failed to turn up at the event – which is traditionally attended by the Labour leader – claiming he was too busy working on his conference speech to attend any parties.
But he did find time to go to three receptions hosted by Momentum, the Daily Mirror and Unite.
Mr Corbyn, a long-time campaigner on the Palestinian issue, has reluctantly attended the Labour Friends of Israel reception in the past. On one notorious occasion two years ago he was unable to bring himself to say the word ‘Israel’.
On Tuesday night, he sent Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry instead, who read out a statement from the leader. Angry attendees shouted: ‘Where is he?’ and ‘Why isn’t he here?’ Joan Ryan, the chairman of Labour Friends of Israel, said: ‘We’re disappointed he couldn’t be with us this evening.’
The Israeli ambassador to the UK also attended the event – but was heckled by Left-wing activists on his way in.
Mr Corbyn’s snub follows revelations in the Mail about anti- Semitic remarks made at the conference. Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Corbyn was forced to deny he was leading a ‘nasty party’.
The drinks reception, held at a hotel near the Brighton conference centre, started at 9.30 that night. It ran concurrently with a karaoke party run by the Mirror, and separate receptions hosted by Unite and Momentum, the pro-Corbyn grassroots group. Miss Thornberry was at the Labour Friends of Israel event from 9.30pm to 10.45pm. In her speech, she claimed her leader was not going to any receptions because he was preparing for his keynote speech.
She said: ‘Just so that there’s no misunderstanding, Jeremy is not attending any of these receptions this evening because he has a big speech tomorrow.
‘But I also know there’s been a great deal of wrestling with Jeremy and Jeremy’s diary to ensure he doesn’t spend a whole evening going from one event to another.’
Mr Corbyn’s statement read out to the Labour Friends of Israel reception, said: ‘The next Labour government will ensure Britain leads the way in promoting dialogue between countries and peoples so that we see real advances towards peace, security and justice in the Middle East and across the world.
‘Labour will continue to campaign for peace through a twostate solution, a secure Israel alongside a secure and viable Palestinian state. I look forward
‘Where is he? Why isn’t he here?’
to working with you all to achieve that together.’
Mark Regev, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, said: ‘To those who called for the expulsion of Zionists from the Labour Party on Sunday, I ask: would you have expelled some of Labour’s greatest luminaries too? Would you have expelled Harold Wilson? Michael Foot?
‘The truth is Labour has historically stood in solidarity with the Jewish people in our struggle for freedom and security, just as Labour has stood in solidarity with the Jewish people in fighting anti-Semitism.
‘So when some talked about the Jews being the chief financiers of the slave trade, we all here tonight know that this is not criticism of the Israeli government. This is not even about the Palestinians. This is clearly just an anti-Jewish bigotry.
‘Calling out anti-Semitism is not a dirty low-down trick. Nor is it a smear. Calling out anti-Semitism is a fundamental duty of all of those who profess to oppose racism, intolerance and bigotry.’