As one of six elected representatives of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), I have the mixed fortune of a weekly sit down with the leader, deputy leader, and general secretary of the Labour Party, alongside our chief whip, shadow leader of the House and representatives of the Labour group in the House of Lords, all chaired by John Cryer MP, chair of the PLP.
The purpose of this meeting – known as the Parliamentary Committee – is to ensure good communication between the party leadership and the elected foot soldiers that are backbench Labour MPs, as well as members of the Lords. It is an unfortunate reality that barely a week goes by when anti-Semitism is not an item for the agenda.
I explain this to be fully transparent about the processes available to raise these issues within the party, but also to be clear with those criticising or questioning the decision to table the motion to this week’s wider PLP meeting – calling on the party leadership to provide a range of basic data regarding its handling of anti-Semitism complaints – that it was tabled after exhausting other internal avenues.
A LabourList article by the general secretary of the Labour Party, Jennie Formby, published an hour before Monday’s weekly PLP meeting did usefully set out some of the action being taken by the party to address an issue which Jeremy Corbyn acknowledged has “caused pain and hurt to Jewish members of our party and to the wider Jewish community in Britain”. It was also helpful that this information – which members of the Parliamentary Committee had already been presented with in response to the many questions over many weeks we have raised – has now been shared with the wider PLP, party members and the general public.
However, if you look at it alongside the questions that were tabled as part of the motion passed unopposed at the PLP meeting this week, it quickly becomes clear that this information does not match the enormity of the task, or indeed the pledge the General Secretary made within it “to eliminate the evil of anti-Semitism from our movement once and for all”.
Whilst listening to the response Jennie gave at Monday’s meeting, which was based upon the LabourList article, two very basic lessons are still being missed. The oft quoted adages of ‘sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants’ and ‘what gets measured gets done’ must both be applied if the Labour leadership is really serious about both addressing the problem, and crucially about being seen to be tackling the problem by those who urgently need to have their faith in the party rebuilt.
Very disappointingly, however, the General Secretary continues to make clear she will not be providing the information (most of which should be readily available) to Labour MPs, despite the clear and unequivocal PLP request.
The time has long since passed for it to be acceptable for the party to be addressing this fundamental and systemic problem from behind closed doors. The claim that answers to basic questions, such as how many anti-Semitism complaints have been made (never mind fully dealt with and how), cannot be revealed for reasons of confidentiality just does not wash – not least when I am being told by Labour members that it is a year since they submitted a complaint about anti-Semitism within the party, and they’ve heard nothing – other than receiving an initial acknowledgement – since. That does not inspire confidence in the process we are told now exists.
And the reason why Labour MPs are raising this issue is clear - we stand as elected representatives for the party. We are rightly or wrongly looked upon by both the party membership and the general public as answerable for the organisation’s actions (or inaction) and its views. And we are being expected to do so with no confidence that the recognised, acknowledged and apologised for problem of anti-Semitism amongst our own membership is being properly and transparently addressed.
As Luciana Berger rightly said at Monday evening’s meeting, one anti-Semite within our party is one too many. We are a membership organisation with processes and rules that must be applied to deal with this issue transparently, robustly and swiftly. If we don’t, how can we possibly aspire to be a party of Government that claims to be able to protect the most vulnerable and marginalised? The time for debate and obfuscation is over - let’s get measuring and reporting, let’s get this issue out into the sunlight and let’s get the job done.
Catherine McKinnell is the Labour MP for Newcastle North