This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/18/labour-peers-could-hold-no-confidence-vote-jeremy-corbyn-over-antisemitism
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Labour peers could hold Corbyn no-confidence vote over antisemitism | Labour peers could hold Corbyn no-confidence vote over antisemitism |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Jeremy Corbyn faces a new front of internal dissent over his handling of antisemitism in the party, with Labour peers potentially set to hold a vote of no-confidence in the leader next week, it has emerged. | |
| The plan is for Labour peers to hold an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon to consider the idea. If it is taken forward, the ballot would take place over Tuesday and Wednesday, with the result soon afterwards, it is understood. | The plan is for Labour peers to hold an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon to consider the idea. If it is taken forward, the ballot would take place over Tuesday and Wednesday, with the result soon afterwards, it is understood. |
| If the no-confidence motion was passed it would have no formal effect but would be a blow to Corbyn’s authority. | |
| It remains to be seen how much support there is among Labour peers for holding or passing such a vote. The plan for the emergency meeting has been put forward by one peer, it is understood. | |
| A Labour source said it would be “both undemocratic and absurd for unelected peers with no mandate to seek to remove an elected leader who twice won the landslide support of Labour’s membership and led Labour to the biggest increase in the party’s vote since 1945”. | A Labour source said it would be “both undemocratic and absurd for unelected peers with no mandate to seek to remove an elected leader who twice won the landslide support of Labour’s membership and led Labour to the biggest increase in the party’s vote since 1945”. |
| This week more than 60 peers took out an advert in the Guardian accusing Corbyn of having “failed the test of leadership” over his handling of antisemitism complaints within the party. | |
| The latest move follows the decision by Corbyn’s office to sack Dianne Hayter as a Brexit minister in the Lords after she accused Corbyn of having a “bunker mentality” which she compared to the final days of Hitler. | The latest move follows the decision by Corbyn’s office to sack Dianne Hayter as a Brexit minister in the Lords after she accused Corbyn of having a “bunker mentality” which she compared to the final days of Hitler. |
| “Those of you who haven’t [read the book] will have seen the film Bunker, about the last days of Hitler, where you stop receiving any information into the inner group, which suggests that things are not going the way you want,” Hayter said. | “Those of you who haven’t [read the book] will have seen the film Bunker, about the last days of Hitler, where you stop receiving any information into the inner group, which suggests that things are not going the way you want,” Hayter said. |
| “That seems to be where we are at the moment: having the leadership in a bunker so they are not hearing in those views, that evidence. That is in conflict with what they are trying to do, to the extent that even undermines what they are trying to do.” | “That seems to be where we are at the moment: having the leadership in a bunker so they are not hearing in those views, that evidence. That is in conflict with what they are trying to do, to the extent that even undermines what they are trying to do.” |
| A Labour spokesman described the comments as “deeply offensive”. Hayter, who is also Labour’s deputy leader in the Lords, said on Thursday Corbyn’s office had both completely misunderstood what she said and had not contacted her to ask or tell her she had been sacked, and that she had found out from the media. | A Labour spokesman described the comments as “deeply offensive”. Hayter, who is also Labour’s deputy leader in the Lords, said on Thursday Corbyn’s office had both completely misunderstood what she said and had not contacted her to ask or tell her she had been sacked, and that she had found out from the media. |
| Hayter told Sky News that the comments came in a meeting in which she referred to The March of Folly, a book by the US historian Barbara Tuchman, and the common fault of leaders and their advisers to screen out critical views, saying Corbyn’s team was guilty of this. | Hayter told Sky News that the comments came in a meeting in which she referred to The March of Folly, a book by the US historian Barbara Tuchman, and the common fault of leaders and their advisers to screen out critical views, saying Corbyn’s team was guilty of this. |
| “If a leader is not getting the intelligence he needs, which is counter to what he believes, then actually the project can fail. So I was actually being quite supportive,” Hayter said. | “If a leader is not getting the intelligence he needs, which is counter to what he believes, then actually the project can fail. So I was actually being quite supportive,” Hayter said. |
| Hayter added that during the meeting she referred to Downfall, the 2004 film detailing the final days of Hitler, as a possible example of this phenomenon. “So everyone said, ‘Ah, if you’re referring to the bunker and Hitler’s last days, that means you mean Jeremy Corbyn’s Hitler.’” | Hayter added that during the meeting she referred to Downfall, the 2004 film detailing the final days of Hitler, as a possible example of this phenomenon. “So everyone said, ‘Ah, if you’re referring to the bunker and Hitler’s last days, that means you mean Jeremy Corbyn’s Hitler.’” |
| Hayter said the actions were “silly”. She said: “I’ve had 50 years in the party, I’ve been chair of the party and I’ve done pretty good work on Brexit.” | Hayter said the actions were “silly”. She said: “I’ve had 50 years in the party, I’ve been chair of the party and I’ve done pretty good work on Brexit.” |
| She added: “But I’m not important to that. What’s important is that the Labour party has a problem, and until the leadership starts taking action on that – and only the leadership can – then this is going to niggle away and stop us doing the things we ought to do.” | She added: “But I’m not important to that. What’s important is that the Labour party has a problem, and until the leadership starts taking action on that – and only the leadership can – then this is going to niggle away and stop us doing the things we ought to do.” |
| Earlier in the week Hayter was among four Labour peers, also including the party’s leader in the upper house, Angela Smith, who wrote to Corbyn offering to set up a panel to review the allegations of former party staffers made on the BBC’s Panorama about antisemitism in Labour. | Earlier in the week Hayter was among four Labour peers, also including the party’s leader in the upper house, Angela Smith, who wrote to Corbyn offering to set up a panel to review the allegations of former party staffers made on the BBC’s Panorama about antisemitism in Labour. |
| In a reply two days later Corbyn said he would be happy to meet them “as soon as possible”. | In a reply two days later Corbyn said he would be happy to meet them “as soon as possible”. |
| Labour | Labour |
| Antisemitism | Antisemitism |
| House of Lords | House of Lords |
| Jeremy Corbyn | Jeremy Corbyn |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |