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Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson pleads for 'healing process' ahead of party conference
Exclusive: He urges 'the rebuilding of trust between the Jewish community and the Labour Party'
September 20, 2018 08:45
Exclusive: He urges 'the rebuilding of trust between the Jewish community and the Labour Party'
September 20, 2018 08:45Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson has pleaded for a “healing process” between the party and the Jewish community ahead of its annual conference this weekend.
Mr Watson — who is due to speak at the annual Labour Friends of Israel event at the Liverpool conference on Tuesday — said he believed it was vital for the country to mend the increasingly fractured relationship between the Jeremy Corbyn’s party and the community.
Mr Watson insisted that the recent decision by Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) to adopt the internationally accepted definition of antisemitism — with the inclusion of a further caveat allowing wider criticism of Israel — should be seen as a sign of progress rather than defeat for communal groups.
Mr Corbyn had tried to have a further stinging rebuke of Israel added into the code but faced strong opposition from the deputy leader and others during the NEC meeting.
But Mr Watson told the JC this week: “I hope that this marks the beginning of the healing process and the rebuilding of trust between the Jewish community and the Labour Party.
“It’s so important to the community, the party and the country that this happens. I’m very glad the NEC adopted the full IHRA and all its examples.”
His plea came at a time when relations between Labour and several high-profile MPs have never been more strained.
Several Jewish Labour MPs are known to be fearful for their safety at this year’s conference with the Community Security Trust having confirmed they have held meetings with them.
Last week the JC revealed that far left-wing Labour activists loyal to Mr Corbyn had been attempting to force hardline motions calling for the IHRA code to be scrapped, with some motions suggesting members must be “free to call Israel a racist endeavour”.
This week, Labour’s Conference Arrangement Committee (CAC) was finalising the list of motions that will be allowed during the four-day event.
While most local Labour parties have argued for a debate on Brexit, there will also be far-left voices from the conference floor calling for support for the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment movement against Israel, the JC has learned.
There is also a growing tide of support — whipped up by notorious Derby North MP Chris Williamson — for the mandatory reselection of MPs seen as enemies of Mr Corbyn.
Speeches from the main conference floor are expected to openly criticise MPs such as Dame Margaret Hodge and Dame Louise Ellman.
One senior Labour source said: “I’m genuinely worried about what might be said from the main floor at this year’s conference.
“Normally, you expect much of the extreme stuff to emerge from some of the fringe events. This year, the extreme has moved into the mainstream like never before.”
At past Labour conferences it has been traditional for the Party leader to tread a careful line and address politically sensitive events such as the LFI reception as well as the Labour Friends of Palestine event.
Last year, Mr Corbyn caused a storm when he claimed he would be unable to address the LFI event as he was busy preparing for his leader’s speech the following day.
This year, a source at LFI confirmed that no invitation had even been sent to the Labour leader to address next Tuesday’s event, which will be chaired by Joan Ryan, the Enfield North MP who has been given a vote of no confidence due to her LFI connection by local pro-Corbyn supporters.
But on Monday evening, in a sign of where his sympathies lie, Mr Corbyn will be speaking at the Labour Friends of Palestine event — alongside Jennie Formby, the General Secretary and Emily Thornberry, Shadow Foreign Secretary.
The Jewish Voice For Labour group — set up as a pro-Corbyn front who have repeatedly attempted to downplay the issue of antisemtism within the party — will also hold two fringe events at this year’s conference.
JVL co-chairs Jenny Manson and Leah Levane will speak at an event titled Fighting Antisemtism, Fighting The Far Right on Monday — although both have records of openly attacking communal organisations.JVL declares itself “proud” to screen a documentary the following day about Labour activist Jackie Walker, suspended since 2016 over allegations of antisemitism.
The Lynching, by filmmaker Jon Pullman, is claimed to offer further insight into the former Momentum activist’s treatment over the past two years.
Meanwhile, the Jewish Labour Movement have brought forward their own fringe event to Sunday afternoon to avoid clashing with Succot later that evening.
The JLM’s rally will see speeches from MPs including Ruth Smeeth, Luciana Berger, Alex Sobel and Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner.
A JLM source said they expected the mood of the lunchtime gathering to be “defiant”.
It had emerged last month that JLM would not be hosting antisemitism training sessions at this year’s conference as was normally the case because of interference in proposed content of sessions by the Labour leadership.
But the JC has learned that the Party will now not host any antisemitism training sessions throughout this year’s conference.
