Leftwing Labour MPs, union leaders and activists have accused Keir Starmer of “undermining party democracy” and urged him to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn and to lift the ban on local parties discussing the case. In a strongly worded statement, many of Corbyn’s most high-profile Labour allies called on Starmer not to “demoralise and undermine” the party’s membership ahead of crucial local elections next year. “Members must be treated with respect, including by upholding the basic democratic right that local party members can decide what they discuss and the positions our local parties take, as well as by ensuring that meetings are always open, inclusive and free from discrimination,” the statement says. “We call on the Labour leadership to reinstate the whip to Jeremy Corbyn, end the attacks on party democracy, legitimate discussion and recent wave of suspensions, and instead to focus on taking the fight to the Tories.” Signatories include union leaders Len McCluskey of Unite, Manuel Cortes of the TSSA, and Dave Ward of the CWU, as well as 18 MPs including John McDonnell, Richard Burgon and Diane Abbott. Six members of the party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) also signed. Their intervention underlines the continued divisions in Labour a year after the catastrophic result in the 2019 general election.
Starmer decided not to reinstate Corbyn to the parliamentary party after his suspension from Labour membership ended last month, saying his predecessor’s actions had “undermined and set back our work in restoring trust and confidence in the Labour party’s ability to tackle antisemitism”. Labour HQ has since ordered constituency parties not to pass motions of solidarity with Corbyn, or criticise the findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) into Labour’s handling of antisemitism. A Labour source said: “CLPs [constituency Labour parties] have received guidance on conducting discussions of the EHRC report and its impact in a constructive and inclusive way that recognises that its recommendations result from a statutory investigation and that the party has accepted it in full.” Corbyn’s supporters have also highlighted a number of recent suspensions of Labour members, including Liverpool Walton CLP secretary Alan Gibbons, which they regard as motivated by factionalism. A Labour spokesperson declined to comment on the Gibbons case, but it is understood he is suspended pending investigation. Corbyn’s leadership saw an influx of new members into Labour, many from other parties or from outside party politics, and some of his supporters suspect Starmer of wanting to push them out, though he has repeatedly underlined his commitment to Labour unity. Few members of Corbyn’s top team remained on the party’s frontbench after Starmer conducted a drastic reshuffle when he took over the leadership. Rebecca Long-Bailey, who stood against Starmer as the leftwing candidate, was subsequently sacked as shadow education secretary for sharing an interview that included an antisemitic trope. Corbyn was suspended in the light of a statement he made after Labour was condemned by the EHRC for its handling of antisemitism complaints. The former leader accepted that antisemitism in Labour had been a problem, and action to tackle it had been too slow – but insisted the scale of it had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons”. His allies believed they had secured agreement from Starmer’s office that he would be readmitted to the party, drawing a line under the matter. A Labour spokesperson declined to comment on Gibbons’s suspension, which colleagues believe is in connection with a motion passed at the CLP that may have breached the rules. Gibbons has said he only joined Labour after Corbyn became leader. Writing in the Tribune, he urged fellow “socialists” to “stay, organise and fight”. Dan Carden, the local MP, tweeted: “Suspending members without explanation is no way to treat people who give everything to our party.”