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PLP Briefing MPs Resignation From Labour Party

Jeremy Corbyn responded to Labour MPs resigning from the party by saying he was disappointed they felt unable to continue working for Labour's policies that inspired millions at the last election. The document discusses Labour's stances on Brexit, claims it has facilitated Brexit, and accusations it has watered down its conference policy. It also outlines steps Jeremy Corbyn has taken to tackle antisemitism in the party, including appointing an in-house counsel, doubling staff handling investigations, and adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

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71 views7 pages

PLP Briefing MPs Resignation From Labour Party

Jeremy Corbyn responded to Labour MPs resigning from the party by saying he was disappointed they felt unable to continue working for Labour's policies that inspired millions at the last election. The document discusses Labour's stances on Brexit, claims it has facilitated Brexit, and accusations it has watered down its conference policy. It also outlines steps Jeremy Corbyn has taken to tackle antisemitism in the party, including appointing an in-house counsel, doubling staff handling investigations, and adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

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© © All Rights Reserved
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PLP Briefing

MPs’ resignation from the Labour Party


Monday 18th February 2019

For more info, contact jeremy.corbyn.mp@parliament.uk

Contents

Jeremy Corbyn statement ................................................................................................................. 2


Jeremy Corbyn all-member email ................................................................................................... 3
Top lines ................................................................................................................................................ 4
On accusation Labour have facilitated Brexit............................................................................... 5
On the accusation we have watered down conference policy ................................................. 5
On antisemitism .................................................................................................................................. 6
Jeremy Corbyn statement
Responding to the decision of a small group of MPs to resign the Labour whip, Jeremy Corbyn
said:

"I am disappointed that these MPs have felt unable to continue to work together for the Labour
policies that inspired millions at the last election and saw us increase our vote by the largest share
since 1945.

“Labour won people over on a programme for the many not the few – redistributing wealth and
power, taking vital resources into public ownership, investing in every region and nation, and tackling
climate change.

“The Conservative Government is bungling Brexit, while Labour has set out a unifying and credible
alternative plan. When millions are facing the misery of Universal Credit, rising crime, homelessness
and poverty, now more than ever is the time to bring people together to build a better future for us
all."
Jeremy Corbyn all-member email
Please see below an all-member email to Labour Party members and a call to action for this
Saturday’s campaigning.

Dear xxxx,

Our country is in crisis and needs a Labour Government.

Our opponents are the Tories, not each other, and it's disappointing that a small group of MPs have
felt unable to continue to work together for the Labour policies that inspired millions at the last
election and saw us increase our vote by the largest share since 1945.

Labour won people over on a programme for the many not the few – redistributing wealth and power,
taking vital resources into public ownership, investing in every region and nation, and tackling climate
change.

The Conservative Government is bungling Brexit, while Labour has set out a credible alternative,
keeping all options on the table, including a public vote to stop a disastrous 'no deal' Brexit.

When millions are facing the misery of Universal Credit, rising crime, homelessness and poverty, now
more than ever is the time to bring people together to build a better future for us all. For those millions
the only solution is a Labour Government that will invest in and transform our country.

That's why we must be united – not for ourselves but to deliver a Labour Government.

Yours,

Jeremy Corbyn
Leader of the Labour Party

xxxx, more than ever we need to be out on the doorstep.

That's why I'm asking you to join thousands of members this Saturday taking Labour's message to
voters.

Come to your local event this Saturday


Top lines
 It is disappointing that a small group of MPs have felt unable to continue to work
together for the Labour policies that inspired millions at the last election and saw us
increase our vote by the largest share since 1945.

 All these MPs stood on a Labour manifesto that the whole party united around and all
saw their votes increase. Now they are standing for different policies on a different
platform, it would be the democratic and right thing to do for them to resign and put
them to the test in a by-election.

 Labour won people over on a programme for the many not the few – redistributing
wealth and power, taking vital resources into public ownership, investing in every region
and nation, and tackling climate change.

 The Conservative Government is bungling Brexit, while Labour has set out a unifying and
credible alternative plan.

 When millions are facing the misery of Universal Credit, rising crime, homelessness and
poverty, now more than ever is the time to bring people together to build a better future
for us all.
On accusation Labour have facilitated Brexit
It is absolutely untrue to say that Labour have been complicit in a Tory Brexit. On top of voting
against Theresa May's Brexit deal:

 We were the first to call for recognising the rights of EU citizens in the UK.
 We were the first to call for there to be a transition period on the same terms as now.
 We won an amendment on the EU Withdrawal Bill which means Parliament will get a
vote on the final deal.
 And we won the argument, being backed by business and trade unions, that we should
seek to negotiate a new customs union with the EU after Brexit.

And we have set out clear priorities on jobs, living standards and the economy, as well as the
kind of relationship we want to see with the single market and customs union and the
amendment we supported only weeks ago left open the option to support a public vote if the
Prime Minister failed to deliver this.

On the accusation we have watered down conference policy


The letter Jeremy sent to Theresa May setting out Labour's Brexit demands is consistent with our
conference policy and the frontbench amendment put down on January 29th. While the letter did
set out more detail of a alternative deal Labour could support, it did not rule out the possibility of
Labour supporting a public vote, as an option, if the Prime Minister continues to rule out our
sensible alternative plan or a general election.

The demands made in the letter are entirely compatible with Labour's 6 tests. The tests we set
out define in general terms the nature of any deal we could support. These demands build on
that by setting out more specifically how these could be achieved at this late stage of
negotiations – i.e. you can help deliver a “strong and collaborative future relationship” by
“making clear commitments on participation in EU agencies and funding programmes” and so
on.

In regards to delivering the same benefits and securing ‘a relationship with the EU that
guarantees full participation in the Single Market’: we believe our demands - asking for close
alignment with the Single Market underpinned by shared institutions and obligations - could
deliver this. Of course this would be subject to negotiation but the positive reception in some
quarters to Labour's credible plan show there should be optimism we can achieve what we are
calling for in our party conference motion.
On antisemitism
Jeremy Corbyn tasked Jennie Formby with tackling antisemitism in the Labour Party as her
number one priority. Since then she has:

 Appointed an in-house Counsel, as recommended in the Chakrabarti Report.


 Nearly completed the process of recruitment to more than double the size of the staff
team that handle investigations and disputes processes, and they have been working
incredibly hard.
 Rather than the full NEC disputes panel dealing with antisemitism cases, smaller panels
of 3-5 NEC members have been established, to enable cases to be heard more quickly,
with each advised by an independent specialist barrister.
 These, amongst other reforms, have enabled us to clear all of the previously outstanding
antisemitism cases from the investigation and disputes panel stages of the process. Only
complaints which have been recently received are still under investigation.
 Where appropriate, cases have been referred to the NCC.
 Conference agreed our recommendation to double the size of the NCC, from 11 to 25
members, and elections were completed before the end of 2018 to ensure these
hearings happen more quickly. The NCC is now establishing a greater number of hearing
panels to allow cases to be heard and finalised as soon as possible.
 The NEC established a Procedures Working Group to lead reforms to the way disciplinary
cases are handled.
 The NEC adopted the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and all eleven examples of
antisemitism attached to it.
 A rule change agreed at conference in 2018 means that all serious complaints, including
all complaints of sexual harassment and antisemitism, are all dealt with nationally to
ensure case consistency.
 There has been clarity on warnings and sanctions. Should individuals who have received
warnings commit further breaches of rules, they are highly likely to be referred to NCC
for action.
 It has been agreed that education or training must not be used as a sanction. Education
should only be offered when there has been a suitable acknowledgement and apology
from the member and where they agree it would be beneficial to them.
 Written to the admins and moderators of a range of Facebook groups (which the party is
not responsible for and which have no official status) with suggestions about how they
can effectively moderate those online spaces and requesting that any discriminatory
content be reported to the party’s complaints team to allow us to investigate.
 Made it clear that no one outside the Governance and Legal Unit can be involved in
decision-making on any investigation, including on antisemitism, and there is strict
scrutiny at all levels to ensure decisions are taken based on the full facts and merits of
each case.
 The party already has robust safeguarding and member welfare policies which govern
how the party responds – including by disclosing information to the authorities – where
material comes to light revealing a threat to a person’s safety. These policies have been
properly applied to disciplinary investigations. I have scheduled a meeting with
Commissoner Cressida Dick’s Office to discuss how we can make sure this process works
effectively. Outputs from that meeting will feed into the Procedures Working Group
which is reviewing policies and procedures affecting member welfare.
Further work needs to be done to ensure NCC hearings happen more frequently and with fewer
delays. We have cleared outstanding cases from the other stages of our processes, and the NCC
must do the same whilst maintaining complete autonomy of decision-making independently of
the General Secretary, party staff and the party leadership. This work is currently underway and
we anticipate changes to procedures will be completed by March.

Another priority is education. The Party is committed to implementing a world-class education


programme on antisemitism for our members that can be delivered in seminars, at conferences
and events and online. We must get this absolutely right, and it’s essential that this is done with
the support of Jewish organisations, to ensure our education programme commands their
confidence and support. The General Secretary has been having confidential discussions with a
number of individuals and organisations to progress on this extremely sensitive and important
matter, and very much hope we will be able to move forward on it together.

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