Labour is threatening to tear itself apart over the anti-Semitism crisis today as Jeremy Corbyn clashed with his deputy in the wake of a devastating Panorama expose.
Deputy leader Tom Watson said the ‘chilling’ BBC documentary had highlighted the ‘permissive culture’ towards vile abuse in the party.
‘I am not going to turn a blind eye to anti-Jewish racism,’ he said.
The programme reported claims that Labour’s communications chief Seumas Milne laughed at the idea that Mr Corbyn should make a speech on Israel’s right to exist.
It also alleged that Labour’s general secretary Jennie Formby tried to influence the make-up of a panel investigating a member over anti-Semitism.
Labour has furiously denied the claims, which it said were made by ‘disaffected employees’ who had always opposed Mr Corbyn’s leadership.
The party even tried to get the BBC to pull the programme and said it had complained to director general Lord Hall. It accused Panorama of ‘deliberate and malicious misrepresentations’.
Labour has furiously denied the claims, which it said were made by ‘disaffected employees’ who had always opposed the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn (pictured)
Deputy leader Tom Watson said he had been ‘chilled and appalled’ by the BBC documentary
Mr Watson said ‘questions now have to be answered’ in the wake of the Panorama programme
Mr Corbyn has denied for months that the leader’s office got involved in disciplinary cases.
But eight former Labour officials – four of whom broke non-disclosure agreements – claimed there had been meddling at the highest level.
They told Panorama that officials hired by Miss Formby repeatedly overruled junior staff to give anti-Semites a ‘slap on the wrist’. On one occasion, there was an order from Mr Corbyn’s office to bring complaints from party headquarters to his office in Parliament so his aides could process them.
The latest revelations are another major blow for Labour, which is facing an investigation into whether it is institutionally anti-Semitic.
But Jennifer Gerber, director of Labour Friends of Israel, said: ‘Panorama’s reported revelations underline the shocking extent to which some of those closest to Jeremy Corbyn have allegedly sought to protect the anti-Semites within Labour and cover up the extent of the problem. This scandal has been compounded by the efforts to muzzle whistleblowers, impugn the integrity of journalists and intimidate the BBC.’
Panorama spoke to eight former officials, including seven from Labour’s complaints and disputes section.
Kat Buckingham, ex-chief investigator in the disputes team, told the programme the problem of anti-Semitism complaints was ‘massive and real’ and ‘wasn’t constructed by embittered old Blairites, as we were frequently described’.
The disputes department is supposed to operate independently but the ex-staffers said there was increased interest from the leader’s office after Mr Corbyn took over in 2015.
Panorama also reported that Miss Formby attempted to interfere in the workings of the National Constitution Committee, (NCC) which decides if members are expelled.
Leaked email chains show she tried to influence the selection of the panel for the case of Jackie Walker, a former vice-chairman of pro-Corbyn group Momentum, over claims of anti-Semitic comments.
On May 5 last year, Miss Formby wrote: ‘The NCC cannot be allowed to continue in the way they are and I will also be challenging the panel for the Jackie Walker case.’
Copied in were Mr Corbyn on his personal email address, Mr Milne and Mr Corbyn’s chief of staff Karie Murphy.
Iain McNicol, Miss Formby’s predecessor as general secretary, told Panorama: ‘The emails you’ve shown me are really important… the issues that are raised should ring alarm bells across the party.
Labour’s director of strategy and communications Seumas Milne (right) with Jeremy Corbyn last weekend after an appearance on the BBC
Mike Creighton, the former head of Labour’s disputes team, told the documentary that Mr Corbyn’s director of communications and strategy, laughed at him when he suggested the party leader make a speech on the Middle East
‘The NCC was created in a specific way to remove itself from politics and from political interference. So, to try to interfere politically within the NCC is just wrong.’
Miss Formby also wrote to the same email group: ‘I’ve permanently deleted all trace of the email. Too many eyes still on my Labour address. Please use my Unite address.’
A Labour spokesman said she temporarily stopped using her party email because of concerns that a political opponent had access to it.
Dan Hogan, an investigator on the disputes team, said things changed after Miss Formby became general secretary in March last year. He said on a number of cases he worked on people she brought in ‘overruled us and downgraded what should’ve been a suspension to just an investigation or worse to just a reminder of conduct, effectively a slap on the wrist’.
A Labour spokesman said: ‘The party is implacably opposed to anti-Semitism.’
He added: ‘The leader’s office did not intervene. These former disaffected employees sought the view of staff in the leader’s office, which was complied with in good faith.
‘The emails… are simply about ensuring the NCC is held accountable.’
He said that the number of staff dealing with complaints was doubling and the rate at which anti-Semitism cases have been dealt with has risen four-fold under Miss Formby.