LONDON (UK) – The Labour Party tendered an apology to former staff members on Wednesday for defaming them after they flayed the party’s handling of the anti-Semitism claims in a TV documentary.
The controversy took place in 2019 under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. His four and a half year term witnessed allegations of anti-Semitism in party ranks.
Labour led by Corbyn was trounced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in a December election. Its fourth rout in a row.
The party was sued for defamation by seven former staff who said they were accused of acting in bad faith after they cooperated with a BBC documentary “Is Labour anti-Semitic?”.
When it was released, the Labour Party said the seven had “political axes to grind” as they did not support Corbyn’s leadership. The party also attacked the BBC journalist who anchored the documentary, accusing him of maliciously trying to misguide the public.
In a settlement, which was read out in court on Wednesday, Labour revoked the accusations and tendered an apology while agreeing to pay a substantial sum to settle the case.
“Anti-Semitism has been a stain on the Labour Party in recent years,” a party spokesman said. “If we are to restore the trust of the Jewish community, we must demonstrate a change of leadership.”
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field
