JLM boost as hundreds of new members join
MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS for the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) have risen to levels unseen for years as Jewish supporters join in order to cast a vote in Labour’s forthcoming leadership contest.
The JC understands that more than 3000 people are now members of the Labour affiliated group — with the vast majority of new recruits who have joined since last month’s election signing up for the full membership option available only to Jewish adults.
JLM members — who can also be non-Jewish “ally” supporters — are eligible to vote in the Labour leadership contest if they have joined by January 20th, even if they are not a member of the party itself.
Sources at JLM confirmed there had been “a flood” of new applications to join the group since election day on December 12 which they called “a sign of how many people are desperate for a viable and functional opposition party to effectively take on Boris Johnson’s Tory Party.”
In the JC last week former MP Ruth Smeeth, the current JLM parliamentary chair, urged members of the community to join the organisation and added “no currently serving member of the Shadow Cabinet deserves our vote”.
Despite this, it is understood that JLM plans to ballot members on their favoured candidate to lead Labour.
JLM are also intending to hold their own hustings event.
The 3,000-strong membership list is the highest it has been over the past decade. “It is great news,” added the source.
“The Jewish community has always been a progressive one at its heart. This is really showing through once again at a time of political crisis.”
Applications to join JLM are also being closely monitored by officials to weed out anyone joining the group under false pretences.
While new members do not have to be Labour members, a link to the wider movement is necessary.
Dame Margaret Hodge, the Jewish MP for Barking, is thought most likely to be elected JLM’s new parliamentary chair when the group next meets following Ms Smeeth’s defeat in the Stoke on Trent North seat last month.