Fury over Chakrabarti shadow cabinet job
BARONESS CHAKRABARTI’S report on antisemitism in the Labour Party was a “job application” for a role in the Shadow Cabinet, the Board of Deputies has claimed.
The community’s representative body said the new peer had “sold out” British Jews in order to be promoted to Jeremy Corbyn’s frontbench team.
Marie van der Zyl, Board of Deputies vice-president, made the claim after Baroness Chakrabarti was handed the role of Shadow Attorney General in the Labour leader’s reshuffle.
The former human-rights barrister’s promotion came three months after her report found Labour was not overrun by antisemitism.
Baroness Chakrabarti said her new role was “an enormous privilege”.
But Ms van der Zyl said: “We are disappointed, but sadly unsurprised, that, once again, Shami Chakrabarti and Jeremy Corbyn have spectacularly undermined her so-called ‘independent’ report.
“We hoped her report would be a potent weapon in the fight against antisemitism. It now looks increasingly like the whitewash was a job application. She has sold out the Jewish community.”
There had been a furious reaction from the Jewish community when Mr Corbyn awarded the former director of Liberty a peerage in August, w i t h C h i e f R a b b i Ephraim Mirvis claiming the move left her report’s credibility “in tatters”.
News of her shadow ministerial role brought similar condemnation, with one senior commu- nal figure describing her appointment as “a f***ing insult”.
The reshuffle also saw Dawn Butler appointed to the position of Shadow Minister for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities. Labour confirmed to the the role would include relations with the Jewish community. But in an interview on Radio 5 Live last Friday, Ms Butler initially seemed confused about what her role would entail. Presenter Emma Barnett, asked whether the community formed part of her brief “under that umbrella of minorities”. Ms B u t l e r, MP for Brent Central, replied: “Yes, I hope so. As you know, it’s a new brief, so we are still kind of looking at what it will include in its entirety.” She later said she Appointed: Baroness Chakrabarti and Dawn Butler wanted to meet Jewish community leaders during her first 100 days in the job.
Ms Butler also suggested Labour’s handling of the antisemitism crisis this year had been inadequate.
Mr Corbyn had considered appointing a “Minister for Jews” to work with the community and improve Jewish relations with Labour last year.
Yasmin Qureshi was appointed the new Shadow Justice Minister. She had apologised in 2014 after she appeared to compare the situation in Gaza to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. Fabian Hamilton remains a shadow foreign minister.
Shneur Odze, Ukip’s most recognisable Jewish figure, will be the party’s candidate in next May’s Manchester mayoral election.
Mr Odze who is Strictly Orthodox and who previously stood for the European Parliament, was selected on Sunday night. He pledged to “deliver real change” in the city by “opening the doors of power to the people”.
She has sold out the Jewish community’