EXCLUSIVE: The party said its NEC Disputes Panel had processed more complaints in 17 weeks ‘than in the entirety of 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 combined’
January 22, 2021 10:54
Just over 30 per cent of cases heard since last May by the Labour disciplinary panel that handles complaints relating to antisemitism have resulted in an expulsion from the party.
Statistics published by Labour revealed that 287 cases have been determined by the National Executive Committee (NEC) Disputes Panel - with 82 per cent of them involving allegations of antisemitism.
While 31.71 per cent of these cases resulted in expulsion, 20.21 per cent resulted in the party member receiving a formal warning.
Just 5.23 per cent of cases resulted in no further action being taken against the individual member. A further eight per cent of cases were referred on to Labour’s national constitutional committee (NCC) which has the power to expel party members after a hearing.
The revealing new statistics have been published on the Labour website in line with the party’s commitment to adhere to the action plan set out for them by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, following the damning report into the handling of antisemitism under Jeremy Corbyn.
A new ‘Antisemitism Complaints’ section had been placed on the party website, with guidelines on how to lodge a complaint against a member.
Displaying the results, the party confirmed: “The Labour Party has been holding subpanels every week, sometimes twice a week, since 21 May 2020.
“Thirty subpanels were held in 2020. Twenty five of these subpanels have concentrated on cases involving a protected characteristic; for example antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism and other forms of discrimination.
“Three have determined cases that did not involve a protected characteristic and two determined a large number of membership appeals.”
In a sign of Sir Keir Starmer’s attempt to get to grips with the backlog of antisemitism cases that had built up under the previous leader, the party confirmed that the 287 cases heard since May 21 last year was more - in 17 weeks - “than in the entirety of 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 combined. In fact, it’s more than quadruple the total number of cases that were heard in 2017.”
Sir Keir strengthened his support on the party’s NEC after elections for the position of chair of the disputes committee took place on Thursday.
Parliamentary Labour Party representative Shabana Mahmood MP was elected chair, replacing the pro-Corbyn former chair Yasmin Darr.
Unison representative Wendy Nichols was elected chair of the organisational committee and Usdaw’s Michael Wheeler was elected vice-chair of the organisational committee.
During Thursday’s meeting it was also confirmed that all election candidates would be made to undertake “additional due diligence for selection” as a result of a further commitment made to the EHRC.
Alice Perry, a member of Labour’s NEC, confirmed the change in an article for the Labour List website.
She wrote: “Labour’s EHRC action plan includes commitments to undertake additional due diligence for candidate selection.
“There have been damaging incidents in the past where candidates were selected, only to be removed due to previous unacceptable behaviour coming to light.
“Candidates and elected representatives are held to a higher standard than party members. The NEC agreed that it is right and proper that the highest standards of probity are expected. Additional checks and balances will be made to relevant selection procedures, including local government selections.”