MPS ‘concerned’ over record of Labour figure tasked with purging party anti-semitism
THE anti-semitism crisis engulfing Jeremy Corbyn deepened last night as Labour MPS expressed “serious concerns” about the track record of the party’s new general secretary.
Jennie Formby is alleged to have called for a ban on G4S, the security firm, tendering for work with Labour because of “its work in Israel”. She is also alleged to have challenged the appointment of a Labour peer to conduct an unrelated anti-semitism inquiry as the peer once visited Israel.
It comes as Mr Corbyn faces calls to oust Christine Shawcroft, the party’s head of discipline, after she defended a local council candidate suspended over anti-semitism allegations. Ms Shawcroft resigned from her post and apologised but remains on the ruling national executive committee. But in a development last night, more than 40 Labour MPS and peers, including three shadow ministers, wrote to Mr Corbyn urging him to suspend Ms Shawcroft from the party.
Mr Corbyn tried to diffuse the row by writing to Labour members yesterday insisting that anti-semitism has “no place whatsoever in our party”.
Claims of anti-semitism led to the suspension yesterday of Marianne Tellier, a Labour branch secretary in Sheffield, after she tweeted a doctored image of a Jobcentre sign that read Arbeit Macht Frei, the words over the gates of the Auschwitz death camp. Ms Formby is facing questions after she was alleged to have challenged the decision to appoint Baroness Royall to lead an investigation of anti-jewish conduct by Oxford University Labour Club. According to sources, Ms Formby questioned Baroness Royall’s links to Labour Friends of Israel and objected to her appointment in 2016 on the grounds that she had been to Israel.
A spokesman for Ms Formby said she “strongly refuted” the allegation. Ms Formby is also alleged to have called for G4S to be barred from tendering for a security contract with Labour due to “its work in Israel”. She claims she raised concerns about G4S for different reasons. The decision taken in November 2015 was resisted by a number of Labour MPS, who wrote to Labour’s then general secretary to express their “deep concern”. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph last night, several Labour MPS said they had “serious concerns” about Ms Formby’s commitment. One, John Mann, said: “Her actions in the next week will decide things one way or another. She has the opportunity to kick Christine Shawcroft off the national executive, to expel the anti-semites, to get a proper system in place. She’ll be judged on her actions.”