Mass Lobby of Labour’s NEC Tuesday July 20th 12.00 - Stop the Purge of Socialists

 Starmer to Expel Thousands of Socialists while Readmitting Islamaphobe Trevor Phillips

It is clear from reports in the yellow press that Starmer is embarking on a purge of socialists and anti-racists in the Labour Party. This comes after Trevor Phillips quietly had his suspension lifted about a month ago. Phillips was suspended in March 2020 after a series of racist comments such as Muslims were ‘a nation within a nation’.

Phillips was also quoted in the Guardian as saying that it was correct for Muslims to be judged collectively: “You keep saying that I make these generalisations,” he said. “But the truth is, if you do belong to a group, whether it is a church, or a football club, you identify with a particular set of values, and you stand for it. And frankly you are judged by that.”

It is accepted by all that blaming all Jews for the actions of an individual is racist, yet when it comes to Muslims this is perfectly acceptable to Starmer and Evans. If ever there were proof that Starmer’s commitment to ‘rooting out anti-Semitism’ was a vicious anti-Palestinian hoax this is it.

And then there was the call by far-right Labour MP Neil Coyle for Jewish Voices for Labour should be expelled too. There is a word for those who call for the expulsion of Jews from the Labour Party – ah yes, anti-Semitism.  However I suspect it was not the same ‘anti-Semitism’ that Starmer  pledged to get rid of.

Four groups are going to be proscribed – Labour Against the Witchhunt (LAW), Labour in Exile Network (LIEN), Socialist Appeal and Chris Williamson’s Resist.

These measures only affect the aforementioned 3 groups.  LAW is a longstanding group first formed in the 1980s when Jeremy Corbyn was its Secretary.  It was refounded in 2017 to fight back against the bogus ‘anti-Semitism’ witchhunt which Corbyn succumbed to.

LIEN was formed in the wake of Corbyn’s suspension last October. Despite being reinstated to the Party Sturmer refused to reinstate the Whip forcing him to sit as an independent MP.  Over a hundred Constituency Labour Parties passed motions of no confidence in Sturmer and his glove puppet Evans and demanded the reinstatement of Corbyn.

Keir Starmer has none of the above three!

Starmer and the unelected Evans reacted in the way we have come to expect of the Labour Right. Evans declared that CLPs were ‘not competent’ to discuss such resolutions. This Stalinist approach to democracy will be warmly applauded by the capitalist press, not least the Mirror and Guardian.

Those CLPs and officers that refused to be intimidated were suspended and their officers either suspended or expelled if they refused to accept the dictate of Starmer and his big business buddies. 

Starmer was elected leader on a pledge of being the ‘unity’ candidate who would take forward the manifesto pledges of Corbyn. These were lies as was his reason ‘anti-Semitic conspiracy theories’ for sacking Rebecca Long-Bailey as Education Shadow and then Corbyn himself.

Starmer was funded in his leadership campaign by a bevy of wealthy individuals – Bob Latham (£100K), Waheed Ali (£100K), Martin Taylor, a hedge fund manager (£95K), Clive Hollick (£50K), Trevor Chinn, a long-time Zionist & owner of Kwik Fit (£50K), Peter Coates, owner of Bet365 (£25K), Martin Clarke, former AA finance director (£25K) and a former  funder of the defunct Change UK/Independent Group. One of the few examples of a rat joining a sinking ship and Paul Myners (£10K). Just 8 rich individuals contributed nearly half a million pounds yet Starmer used various legal stratagems to hide the fact from Labour members that it was wealthy businessmen who were funding his campaign until the election was over. It might have given the game away if members had been aware that he was funded by a ratbag of Blairite entrepreneurs.

Sir Keir is repaying the debt he owes Chinn and the Israel Lobby by expelling and purging socialists from the Labour Party. He intend to complete what Blair started.  To remake Labour into a second party of capitalism and to purge it of any trace of socialism.

Except that when Blair began his campaign to repeal Clause IV he was riding high in the polls as was Kinnock before him.  Starmer by contrast is in a dire position electorally. He lost one by-election in Hartlepool, a seat Labour had never before lost, nearly lost another by-election and in a third by-election Labour got the worst ever election result in its history, 1.6%.

Starmer is taking Labour down to what will be a historic political defeat at the next election. Why  Because he has nothing to say.  As the Tories introduce a new NHS reform bill Labour sits silent because under Starmer Labour does not oppose private companies taking over more and more of the NHS.  The same is true for the Labour Party on the Police and Crime Bill.  Starmer has no concept of what opposition is because he and the Labour Right have no fundamental differences with the Tories.

It is time for the Campaign Group of MPs to get off their knees and start fighting back. If Sir Keir is successful socialism inside the Labour Party will be dead. It is regrettable that Jeremy Corbyn has taken the legal route in fighting back rather than campaigning for the removal of Starmer.

We also have to be honest and say that much of the Labour Left under Lansman, Corbyn and McDonnell helped bring this situation about when they introduced the ‘fast track’ system of expulsions. It should be a lesson to all that when you appease Labour’s Right they only demand more.  It is also highly unlikely, given he has already had one legal setback, that Corbyn will be victorious.

Last night representatives of LAW, LIEN, LRC, LLA, Socialist Appeal and JVL met to plan the fightback which will start with the Lobby this Tuesday July 20^th outside the Labour Party headquarters  at 105 Victoria St, London SW1E 6QT.

Unfortunately despite Socialist Appeal making it clear that they wanted to fight the purge politically, by calling for Starmer to go, the majority in the meeting did not agree.

The Right are proposing to revive the McCarthyist list of proscribed organisations that was abandoned in 1973. Anyone who is a member or supporter of the four groups will be automatically expelled.

Membership of the above groups will be held to be “incompatible with membership of the Labour Party”, as they have their own programme, membership, and structures. Three of the four organisations on the list do not do that whereas the right-wing factions Progress, Labour First and the Jewish Labour Movement do qualify. Indeed the JLM is affiliated internationally to the World Zionist Organisation and is the overseas wing of the Israeli Labor Party. All 3 of the above right-wing organisations openly campaigned against Labour under Corbyn’s leadership and the JLM went so far as to refuse to support Labour candidates at the 2019 general election.

We were informed at the meeting that Momentum’s National Coordinating Group will be issuing a statement tomorrow opposing Starmer’s proposals. Apparently the man who did more than anyone to weaken the Labour Left, Jon Lansman, has also made clear his opposition to what is being proposed by the Right.

When Keir Starmer promised to ‘root out antisemitism’ in the Labour Party what he was really saying was that he was going to root out the left. Unfortunately the present Momentum leadership still hasn’t come to terms with this despite dozens of Jewish members being suspended.

 False charges of ‘antisemitism’ have been used to prevent any discussion or expression of solidarity with Palestinians of which the ruling out of order of a motion to Hove Labour Party on the advice of Labour’s racist and anti-Semitic South-East Regional Organiser Scott Horner is but the latest example.

The position of LAW and LIEN is quite clear. There should be no automatic expulsions.  Everyone is entitled to a fair hearing and due process. The National Constitutional Committee, an elected body, which is there to hear disciplinary cases has been totally sidelined.

If you have been suspended or expelled you or they are trying to silence your local party then you should come to this protest-lobby of the NEC at 12 noon this Tuesday 20 July and tell your story.  Email Norman on info@labour-in-exile.org to let us know.

Norman Thomas, who founded LIEN said in a statement:

“There is wide agreement Starmer is pretty pathetic at fighting the Tories, but he’s in overdrive when it comes to attacking his own members. He has destroyed democracy in Labour to get rid of the thousands of people who joined after Jeremy Corbyn became leader.”

Thomas said there would be more action to come – including at the conference in September.

 “This is just the beginning of the fightback. We are fighting for the future of the Labour party,” he said.

The whole left must stand in solidarity with these four organisations and oppose this latest purge. If Starmer succeeds on Tuesday then other groups will be added to the list.  

See also Labour’s planned purge is an act of self-sabotage and Sir Keir set to expel 1,000 leftwing members in four ‘poisonous’ groups in the Morning Star and in Canary Labour wants to ban left wing members, but they’re taking the fight to party HQ and on Skwawkbox Exclusive: the FOUR left groups Labour plans to outlaw – and the ‘Labour’ MP who wants left-wing Jews added to the list.