Ex-leader says Labour expulsion lacked justice
A FORMER council leader has accused the Labour Party of expelling him after what he claims was a flawed process that was stacked against him.
Hedley McCarthy was a member of the party for 46 years until his expulsion and was leader of Blaenau Gwent council from 2012 until 2015.
He was a supporter of former leader Jeremy Corbyn and has been critical of his successor Sir Keir Starmer.
The essence of the case against him was the claim that some of his posts on social media could be construed as antisemitic.
Mr McCarthy accepts he made the posts and likes, but he denies that he is antisemitic and claims his comments were intended as criticisms of the Israeli government.
One of the Facebook posts from another user that the excouncil leader liked said: “It was Labour once, then New Labour and is now the Netanyahu Labour Party of the UK.”
Benjamin Netanyahu is the right-wing former Prime Minister of Israel.
One of Mr McCarthy’s posts on Facebook said: “Tories’ situation desperate, come on you gravy train Labour MPs and AM, time to think of new antisemitic attack on leader or you might get a Labour government.”
Another post reads: “Is it just me or did Starmer put through his own goal from the halfway line at PMQs? Instead of condemning Israeli aggression he condemned antisemitism in London which of course we all condemn. He is unfit to lead the Labour Party.”
A complaint was made against Mr McCarthy to Labour by party member
Steve Cooke from Stocktonon-Tees.
The party letter informing him of his expulsion told Mr McCarthy his conduct could “reasonably be seen to demonstrate hostility or prejudice based on race, religion or belief. In coming to this conclusion, the panel considered that your conduct contravened both the provisions of the NEC code of conduct on antisemitism and the IHRA working definition of of antisemitism and its accompanying examples.”
Mr McCarthy said: “I have been an anti-racist campaigner for all my adult life and that includes campaigning against antisemitism.
“I was given 14 days to appeal, however, they claim to have expelled me two days before the deadline they gave me and obviously two days before they received the appeal. This doesn’t comply with due process or natural justice... I have mixed feelings about being expelled. Obviously I was deeply attached to a party I belonged to for 46 years, but I think Starmer is useless.”
The Labour Party was invited to respond, but has a policy of not commenting on internal disciplinary matters.