Antisemitism exists in the Labour Party. But an email to MPs from the party’s general secretary suggests the issue has been seriously exaggerated
Last night a group of seven MPs on the right of the Labour Party published a letter attacking Labour general secretary Jennie Formby’s report on the scale of antisemitism in the party and her team’s efforts to deal with complaints.
Among the signatories was Margaret Hodge, who subsequently told reporters that she disbelieved the report because she had personally submitted two hundred complaints, saying, “It’s unbelievable. Trust has broken down.“
Ms Hodge also tweeted her opinion:
Tonight, Ms Formby has responded to the MPs’ letter point by point in an email sent out to all MPs – but one of the responses deals a serious blow to the credibility of those claiming Labour has a widespread problem.
Formby’s email reveals that of the two hundred cases ‘put in’ by Margaret Hodge, only twenty instances concerned Labour members – the rest of Ms Hodge’s examples concerned people who had no link to the Labour Party.
Twenty is far too many and abuse directed toward Ms Hodge and any of her colleagues is deplorable. But a 90% error rate in attribution of such abuse to Labour members – or 82% of the 111 individuals behind the complained-of posts – is huge.
SKWAWKBOX comment:
The media have so far treated claims that abuse – which has undoubtedly taken place – of Jewish MPs has been committed by Labour members as if they are automatically accurate.
Ms Hodge’s claim and the subsequent revelation of the reality behind it suggest that nowhere near enough salt has been taken with claims by a media estate all too eager to recite anything that it thinks will damage the Labour Party.
More details on Ms Formby’s response will follow shortly.
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