Jeremy Corbyn faces a no confidence motion from Jewish Labour Movement

Jeremy Corbyn has lost a no confidence motion by the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) ‘overwhelmingly’ this afternoon after the group’s leader announced he would vote against the Labour leader, despite Mr Corbyn’s shadow attorney general pleading with the group to look past her leader and not ‘personalise’ the vote.

It comes as internal Labour Party documents have revealed only three per cent of nearly 900 anti-Semitism disciplinary cases have resulted in a member’s expulsion from the party. 

Shortly before 3.30pm today, the JLM voted for an amendment, to a broader motion about Labour Party anti-Semitism, which read: ‘The leadership of the Labour Party, including the Leader, the Shadow Cabinet as a collective body, the NEC and the General Secretary, have fundamentally failed to address antisemitism within the Labour Party.’

It went on: ‘The leadership of the Labour Party have demonstrated that they are antisemitic, and have presided over a culture of antisemitism’. 

It said the leadership had ‘used their influence to protect and defend antisemites’, concluding ‘Jeremy Corbyn is therefore unfit to be Prime Minister’.

the Jewish Labour Movement today passed a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn declaring him ‘unfit to be Prime Minister’

The full motion later passed ‘almost unanimously’, according to the JLM’s official Twitter account, after powerful speeches including one from Labour MP Margaret Hodge. 

This morning JLM’s national secretary Peter Mason told Sky News Jewish members of the party are ‘looking on in horror’ at what has been happening in the Labour Party and at this afternoon’s AGM will table a confidence motion in the leadership of Mr Corbyn.

Mr Mason said he would be voting no confidence – and would even consider voting to dissociate from the party should such a motion be tabled.

JLM's national secretary Peter Mason said he would be voting against Mr Corbyn in a confidence motion at this afternoon's AGM

JLM’s national secretary Peter Mason said he would be voting against Mr Corbyn in a confidence motion at this afternoon’s AGM

He said: ‘The Jewish community is looking on in horror. We have had this affiliation for 99 years and it looks like it could come to an end.’

He added: ‘Members voted just a few weeks ago to remain affiliated with the party, because we believed we should stand and fight. 

‘[Mr Corbyn] is the one responsible for leading the party and ensuring it acts in an appropriate way – members will be voting on whether he should be leader and should be prime minister.’

This morning shadow AG Shami Chakrabarti appealed directly to the group in an interview with Sophie ridge, saying: ‘My plea to them is to stay in the Labour movement and to tackle racism together, not to personalise it and make it about Jeremy Corbyn.

‘He is one person and he won’t be leader forever.’

Baroness Chakrabarti said: 'My plea to them is to stay in the Labour movement and to tackle racism together, not to personalise it and make it about Jeremy Corbyn'

Baroness Chakrabarti said: ‘My plea to them is to stay in the Labour movement and to tackle racism together, not to personalise it and make it about Jeremy Corbyn’

Following revelations about the party’s disciplinary procedure in today’s Sunday Times, one his his own MPs said either Jeremy Corbyn had lied to her, or his office had lied to him, after leaked emails appeared to show direct involvement by the leader’s office in some members’ cases, despite his personal assurances he does not intervene. 

The paper said leaked internal documents show the party’s system for dealing with complaints had been beset by delays, inaction and interference from the leader’s office.

Some members investigated for posting comments online such as ‘Heil Hitler’ and ‘Jews are the problem’ had not been expelled despite complaints being made a year ago.

And Jeremy Corbyn’s office had been involved in approving, delaying or blocking at least 101 complaints, the paper reported.

Jeremy Corbyn promised Margaret Hodge MP he never intervened in members' disciplinary cases but the Sunday Times reports his office has done so

Jeremy Corbyn promised Margaret Hodge MP he never intervened in members’ disciplinary cases but the Sunday Times reports his office has done so

But Labour said lines from internal emails had been ‘selectively leaked’ to ‘misrepresent their overall contents’, adding that it was ‘committed’ to rooting out anti-Semitism within the party.

According to The Sunday Times, the hard drive of emails and a confidential database last updated on March 8 also showed that a trade union official was readmitted after being accused of sharing material saying ‘Jewish Israelis’ were behind 9/11.

In another case, a Labour official ruled a council candidate accused of describing Jewish MPs as ‘Zionist infiltrators’ met the threshold for suspension, but then ruled he should not be suspended as he ‘is a candidate’, the paper said.

It reported that 454 of 863 complaints were unresolved, including 249 where the party had not started an investigation, and that of 409 cases where a decision was reached, 191 members faced no further action, 145 received a formal warning and fewer than 30 were expelled.

Labour said the figures quoted in the story were ‘not accurate’.

Dame Margaret Hodge has previously accused members of Jeremy Corbyn´s inner circle of interfering in the outcome of anti-Semitism cases

Dame Margaret Hodge has previously accused members of Jeremy Corbyn´s inner circle of interfering in the outcome of anti-Semitism cases

A spokeswoman said: ‘The Labour Party takes all complaints of anti-Semitism extremely seriously and we are committed to rooting it out of our party.

‘All complaints about anti-Semitism are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures. We can’t comment on individual cases.

‘Lines have been selectively leaked from emails to misrepresent their overall contents.

‘One of the emails shows the General Secretary’s Office ending the practice started by former staffers of asking the Leaders’ Office for their help with clearing the backlog of cases. This practice lasted for a few weeks while there was no general secretary, and was ended by Jennie Formby.’

Other emails are reported to show Thomas Gardiner, head of Labour’s governance and legal unit, stepping in to frustrate efforts by a member of his staff to fast-track an investigation of a member who condemned two Jewish MPs for being ‘sh**-stirring c** buckets’ in the pay of Israel’.

People with placards and Union flags demonstrated as part of the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism outside the head office of the Labour Party in London last April

People with placards and Union flags demonstrated as part of the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism outside the head office of the Labour Party in London last April

A Labour Party source said: ‘These emails show Thomas Gardiner arguing for an anti-Semitism complaint to be recorded as anti-Semitism, in line with the Macpherson principle, and to ensure the case is dealt with through the fast-tracked anti-Semitism procedures.

‘In another email Thomas makes clear it’s right and appropriate that Jennie Formby had ended the practice of LOTO (leader of the opposition’s office) being asked for help with cases, and it is untrue and misleading to say LOTO are involved as there is a firewall between the complaints process and the Leader’s Office. He was outlining and supporting this process.’

Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP for Barking, told the paper: ‘The scale of the abuse, the depth of the hatred and the total lack of action by the Labour Party is astonishing.’

Jewish MP Luciana Berger received death threats and a slew of abuse. She left the Party

Jewish MP Luciana Berger received death threats and a slew of abuse. She left the Party

She added: ‘Jeremy gave me assurances that he does not intervene [in complaints].

‘This investigation proves that either he is lying to me or his office are lying to him.’

The paper also revealed that in a meeting in which Corbyn and his political secretary, Amy Jackson, assured Hodge his team would ‘never’ interfere in complaints, he told the MP: ‘It doesn’t come here . . . I don’t involve myself in the complaint at all.’

And Ms Jackson added: ‘Absolutely not. I could tell you 100% we would never do that, that would be an appalling thing to do.’

But in the leaked emails the leader’s chief of staff says Jackson herself must be kept abreast of certain complaints.

In an email dated April 5 last year, Corbyn’s chief of staff, Karie Murphy wrote: ‘I think it’s important for Amy Jackson to have an overview of all complaints that involve elected politicians or candidates.’ 

Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: ‘The Sunday Times investigation shows that our demands to root out anti-Jewish racism have been treated with utter contempt.

‘Rather than own up to the problem, the Labour leadership has put its efforts into a cover-up operation.

‘Any claims to a politically independent system can now be seen as a total sham.

‘Labour must now urgently open up its processes to scrutiny by the Jewish community.

‘We stand united with all decent people in the fight against ugly racism.’

Jeremy Corbyn faces a Labour split as 80 MPs call for a second EU referendum

Jeremy Corbyn is facing a split in the Labour Party as 80 MPs called for a second referendum while the party chairman warned backing a so-called People’s Vote would cause massive divisions.

Remainers within the Labour Party want Corbyn to push Theresa May to hold a second EU referendum.   

But the party chairman, Ian Lavery, warned Corbyn if he backed another referendum he risked causing an irrevocable split withing the movement.

During a shadow cabinet meeting earlier this week, Lavery, ‘wagged his finger’ at the party leader as he made his point moments before MPs were due to cast a vote, according to The Observer. 

Several top figures in the party including deputy leader Tom Watson and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, reportedly backed a ‘confirmatory referendum’ on any deal MPs agreed during the same summit.

Around a third of Labour MPs wrote to Corbyn telling him not to strike a deal with Mrs May unless it included a second referendum. 

The letter was signed by high-profile Remainers in the party, including Margaret Hodge, Jess Phillips, Stella Creasy, Rachel Reeves, Clive Lewis and Kate Osamor. 

It read: ‘Labour is offering a vision of hope which has inspired millions of people. Tory Brexit threatens this, and so does any perceived participation in delivering it.

‘Any compromise deal which is now agreed by Parliament will have no legitimacy if it is not confirmed by the public.

‘The only way to guarantee jobs, rights and protections – and Labour’s reputation with its membership and the electorate – is to support a confirmatory public vote on any option which is agreed by parliament, which will put additional pressure on the government to hold the early general election the country needs.’

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