Labour cracks down on local parties defying EHCR motion debate edict
Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, a senior official in the Jewish Voice For Labour group, has been suspended by Labour following a report by the JC into her conduct at a meeting of the Chingford and Woodford Green Labour Party.
The retired teacher, who is vice-chair of the local Labour Party, was administratively suspended last week along with chair Gary Lefley, after the 30 November meeting included open criticism of both SirKeir Star me rand General Secretary David Evans’ attempts to tackle antisemitism in the wake of the damning report by the EHRC into the problem.
Ms Wimborne-Idrissi’s suspension follows a concerted effort by supporters of Mr Corbyn to raise issues relating his suspension after he responded to the publication of the EHRC report into antisemitism by saying the problem was “dramatically overstated for political reasons” by opponents and the media.
The former leader was initially suspended from Labour but is now suspended as a party MP. His supporters, many of whom had obtained senior positions at local level under his leadership, led moves to table motions discussing both his suspension and the EHRC report itself.
Sir Keir has previously stated that Labour would implement the findings of the legally binding report in full.
CLP officials in Hampstead and Kilburn, Nottingham East and last week in Chipping Barnet, have all been suspended from the party after defying the Labour general secretary by allowing motions deemed not to be“competent business” at meetings.
After the Chingford and Woodford Green meeting, Jewish members said they were left feeling “uncomfortable” by a speech given by Ms Wimborne-Idrissi. Addressing these concerns during the online event, JVL’s media officer said: “I’m just horrified to see people saying in the chat that they feel ‘uncomfortable’. I feel obliged to say, ‘Well yeah, I feel uncomfortable that people are saying they’re uncomfortable’. What is this? We are in a political party. We have views, some of them very strongly held.”
A transcript of her speech confirms that she also criticised General Secretary David Evans’ move to protect Jewish members of the party by banning the discussion of pro-Jeremy Corbyn motions and discussion of the EHRC report in meetings, after reminding CLPs that the party had accepted the recommendations in full. An earlier message sent to all CLPs by Mr Evans had warned that the use of motions to discuss the EHRC report or the decision to suspend the party whip from Jeremy Corbyn was outlawed “to provide a safe and welcoming space for all members, in particular our Jewish members.” Ms Wimborne-Idrissi claimed it was allies of the former leader, such as herself, who now felt uncomfortable in the party. She said: “Yes, I feel uncomfortable. I feel bloody uncomfortable seeing damned good comrades and friends of mine being suspended from this party for doing nothing more than trying to discuss the questions which led to Jeremy Corbyn’s unjust suspension — we know it was unjust because he was readmitted — and then the question of the whip being taken from him which is almost certainly unconstitutional in the party.”
The JC alsorevealed that Ms Wimborne-Idrissi had sent a message in the online chatroom during the meeting in support of a local member who suggested antisemitism allegations had been weaponised.
In a message sent to “everyone”, she wrote: “May I just say there are many Jews in the party, including me, who endorse 100 per cent what Pippa said about the weaponisation. The cynical manipulation of Jewish fears and concerns is unforgivable and undermines all our work against racism of all kinds .”
Meanwhile in his own speech at Monday’s meeting, chair Mr Lefley openly attacked the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in his speech. He said: “It is Keir Starmer, not Jeremy Corbyn, who is in breach of party rules. It is Starmer, not Corbyn, who is in breach of the EHRC report, where Ch3 page 27 explicitly defends the rights of party members to question the scale of antisemitism within the Party, based on their experience. It is St arm er, not Corbyn, who is in breach of the Human Rights Act 1998. It is St arm er, not Corbyn, who is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. And it is Starmer, not Corbyn, who has plunged the party into internecine warfare, when we should be ex posing and combat ting this vile class- driven, corrupt government, something we should have been doing for 11 months.”
The JC contacted both Ms Wim borne-Idrissi and Mr Lefley for comment about the speeches and online remarks but they did not respond.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell later tweeted that Ms Wimborne-Idrissi is “a decent, sincere socialist” and offered to be a witness for her at any disciplinary hearing into her suspension from the party.
It is Keir Starmer who is in breach of party rules’