LAAS statement on the Peterborough By-Election

“The narrow victory by Lisa Forbes in the Peterborough by-election is a dark day for the Labour Party. When evidence of Ms Forbes allegedly antisemitic views emerged last weekend she should have been forced to stand down immediately, as urged by the Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The Labour Party’s only Jewish affiliate, the Jewish Labour Movement also announced it would not be campaigning for Ms Forbes.

Instead we witnessed the unedifying spectacle of dozens of Labour MPs - many of whom moderates, who had signed a letter of solidarity with the Jewish Labour Movement as recently as March - streaming up to Peterborough over the last few days to support a candidate who should have been taken off the ballot paper on Sunday.

It appears that tribalism has trumped principle, and that the policy of zero tolerance for antisemitism has once again been abandoned by the Labour Party. We call for Ms Forbes to be suspended, and will be submitting a complaint to the party in the next few days.”