Five years ago, politics was unrecognisable to what it is today. The country was in the early stages of what we thought was a Boris Johnson hegemony. It felt insurmountable that Labour would win a general election. Keir Starmer took over a Labour Party in tatters, ruined by years of hard-left incompetence and ruinous ideology.
Five years ago today, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) ruled that the Labour Party had breached the Equality Act in three ways. The Labour Party; the party of equality, of opportunity, and of the underdog, had fallen foul of its own legislation. The legislation which was one of the great achievements of the last Labour government. It was nothing short of a disgrace. The Labour Party was institutionally antisemitic.
It is thanks to Keir Starmer’s leadership that we can say ‘was’ in the past tense. Many thought it would take a generation to turn around an engrained culture of antisemitism. Starmer showed what happens when leaders lead from the front. When they stand up and say what needs to be said. It was world’s away from Corbyn’s obfuscation and denial.
Antisemitism is an ancient and complex hatred. It has changed and evolved over time. When antisemitism started emerging in the Labour Party, the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) engaged in good faith. We understood not everyone knew Jews or had witnessed antisemitism. We were not met with that good faith. We were met with dismissal and denial.
I remember clearly the NEC meeting when JLM decided to go to the EHRC. Sat in Portcullis House, the mood was sad and sombre as we took advice from a senior lawyer. We never wanted to end up in that situation. But, we had no choice.
We were supported by over 80 brave and courageous whistleblowers – current and former Labour Party staff who knew right from wrong. Alongside hundreds of Jewish members and former members, we painstakingly collated their testimony. It was hard listening. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were reading the testimony of a minority group within the BNP. JLM will be forever grateful to those who spoke out, particularly to those who did so publicly for the BBC’s Panorama programme. They embodied true Labour values.
Antisemitism hasn’t gone away. It is a light sleeper that never disappears. But I, and the rest of JLM, know, that if it returns, leadership will speak up and speak out. It is thanks to Keir that the Labour Party became a party that the country could vote for, that a Labour government once again is changing the lives of working people for the better. It’s been five years since the EHRC reported to the country. So much has been achieved but the job isn’t finished yet. As Rabbi Tarfon said: “it is not for you to finish the work, but neither are you free to abandon it”.
To hear from two former National Secretaries of the Jewish Labour Movement, our Executive Director Adam Langleben and Leader of Ealing Council Peter Mason on this anniversary, click here for their Jewish News piece.
