Antisemitism in Modern Society

Debate between Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent and Barry Gardiner

Wednesday 20th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Barry Gardiner]

Quite simply, my hon. Friend is right, and I pay tribute to the work he has done for many, many years; it is for our shadow Cabinet, as it is indeed incumbent on us all in this party, to ensure that we have the processes in place to eradicate this poison from our party. If we look at what took place in our party recently after the change in leadership, we see that the number of places on the committee concerned, the national constitutional committee, had to double to deal with the cases that were there; new processes were introduced so that we could speed up dealing with the number of cases that were there. That is the process that is going to take place, but he is right to say that it is not just about process—it is not. It is about leadership and politics, and making sure that we get the message out there into the wider society that wherever this happens it is unacceptable and will be dealt with. Yes, it will be dealt with by the proper process, but the outcomes at the end of that process must be the right ones.

[Ruth Smeeth]

rose—

[Barry Gardiner]

I will give way, but it will be for the last time.

[Ruth Smeeth]

Does my hon. Friend, to whom I am grateful for making this speech, agree that any other leader of the Labour party would have instructed people to be expelled?

[Barry Gardiner]

I cannot agree with my hon. Friend on that point because it is for the national executive to take that decision—