Labour staff have voted overwhelmingly for a motion condemning the party’s response to last week’s BBC Panorama documentary, which saw it attack whistleblowers who spoke out about antisemitism.
On Thursday, party saff represented by the GMB trade union voted 124 to four for a motion that demanded the party apologise and affirms support for whisteblowers, after Labour hit out at "disaffected" ex-staffers who spoke to journalists about the party's Jew-hate crisis.
The union demanded that Labour commit itself to a position of “support for whistleblowers regardless of where they work and to always condemn attempts to label them as politically motivated.”
It also called for an urgent review into the party’s staff hiring process suggesting it is unacceptable that individuals are “being hired who attempt to minimise antisemitism or dismiss it as a smear.”
The GMB motion was tabled in the aftermath of the BBC investigation which revealed that over-worked party staff had been left demoralised by the leadership’s failure to tackle anti-Jewish racism and how allies of Jeremy Corbyn had assumed control of the disciplinary process.
It said: “To hire people with those views is a shocking betrayal of Labour staff, the Jewish community and Labour’s history as an anti-racist party.”
The motion that was heard at a meeting on Thursday, also condemned Labour General Seceretary Jennie Formby’s use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) against the former staff members who spoke to Panorama.
The motion stated the need to “reaffirm our commitment to tackle antisemitism across our movement and express our solidarity with Jewish colleagues and members who have experienced antisemitism.”
It added the union will “write to the Jewish Labour Movement with a message of solidarity to send to both the former staff and the young activists featured on the programme to offer our regret at the behaviour of those who act in the name of the Labour Party and to reiterate the commitment of this branch to act as vocal and active allies in the fight against antisemitism.”
A source present at the meeting said: "There is a toxic culture in the Labour Party, one of fear and bullying.
"Those who speak out against antisemitism are forced on sick leave and out of the building. Today, Labour staff said that we won’t stay quiet on antisemitism."
While the GMB represents the vast majority of the hundreds of staff employed by Labour, others are represented by the Unite union, led by Len McCluskey, who called antisemitism allegations “mood music” and attacked deputy leader Tom Watson for his criticising the part over the issue.
