Throughout his leadership, Jeremy Corbyn was dogged by accusations that he was reluctant to tackle antisemitism in the Labour Party. Whatever he did or said on the issue was judged inadequate by critics, especially those within the party, and portrayed as such in the media. This perception of him did not just repel many Jewish MPs and party supporters. It contributed to a belief among voters that he and his party could not be trusted to uphold the basic standards of British political life.
The accusations were reinforced in 2019 when The Sunday Times reported that Labour’s attempts to deal with antisemitism were “bedevilled by delays, inaction and interference from the leader’s office”. [Our emphasis.] This latter suggestion was made even more forcibly in July 2019 by a BBC Panorama television documentary, ‘Is Labour Anti-Semitic?’, citing testimony from former party officials. Followed and repeated by other media, the Panorama documentary formed an important part of a swelling anti-Corbyn narrative as December’s general election came closer. The narrative affected the result: polls consistently suggested that Corbyn was the biggest single liability of his party.
Yet credible evidence has now emerged that challenges the deadly accusation that Corbyn undermined efforts to tackle antisemitism. It suggests, on the contrary, that the party’s inability to get to grips with the issue may have been in large measure due to the actions – or rather the inaction – of the very people who gave interviews attacking Corbyn in the July 2019 Panorama, which has this month controversially been shortlisted for a BAFTA award.
