Labour is institutionally racist, says Umunna

Political correspondent

A LABOUR MP has branded the party “institutionally racist” amid its ongoing row over anti-semitism.

Chuka Umunna, the former frontbencher, said it was “beyond doubt” Labour met the definition of institutional racism set out in the official report of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry.

But Mr Umunna, a vocal critic of the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said he had no intention of leaving the party and would instead fight to change it.

Asked on Sky News yesterday if he believed Labour was “institutionally racist”, Mr Umunna replied: “Yes, I do. If you look at the definition of institutional racism as outlined by Sir William Macpherson in the Macpherson Report, and the Macpherson Inquiry produced an institutional racism definition. It’s beyond doubt for me that it has met it. It is very painful for me to say that.”

It came as Ian Lavery, the Labour chairman, suggested that Jewish community groups needed to do more to rebuild trust with the party.

Mr Lavery also dismissed concerns that Labour MPS who are critical of Mr Corbyn’s leadership were being “targeted” for deselection by hard-left activists as he said they were simply being “challenged”.

A number of moderate Labour MPS have lost votes of no confidence in their constituencies in recent weeks, sparking fears of a purge.

But Mr Lavery said it was the job of MPS to “try and understand the views” of their constituents and to “not be frightened to speak”.

He also confirmed a plan to introduce mandatory reselection of MPS will be discussed at Labour’s annual conference later this month.

His comments are unlikely to assuage the concerns of the likes of Mr

Umunna, who believe they are being forced out of the party. Mr Umunna said he wanted to stay in Labour “because I want it to change”, but ultimately he did not rule out quitting the party in the future.

He said: “I don’t want to leave the Labour Party. Who knows what I will be doing when I am 80?”

The Macpherson Report, published in 1999, defined institutional racism as: “The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin.

“It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people.”

Mr Umunna faced calls from Labour activists to apologise yesterday after he said Mr Corbyn should “call off the dogs” to stop moderate MPS being driven out of the party.

But the MP for Streatham defended his remarks and said he had simply been using a “figure of speech” and was not actually calling Labour members dogs.

Mr Umunna’s intervention came after Trevor Phillips, former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, claimed Labour was “led by anti-semites and racists”.

Mr Phillips told the Mail on Sunday: “It doesn’t help that one of our great parties, the one I belong to, is led by anti-semites and racists who basically want to eliminate anyone who disagrees with them.”

A Labour Party spokeswoman said Mr Phillips’s comments were “simply wrong and offensive”.

She said: “Jeremy Corbyn and the party leadership are life-long antiracists who are determined to tackle anti-semitism both within the Labour Party and in wider society, and the Labour Party is committed to rebuilding trust with the Jewish community.”

Dawn Butler, the shadow women and equalities secretary, rejected the claims made by Mr Umunna and Mr Phillips and said Labour was not institutionally racist.

“If it was I would go,” she said.