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Gordon Brown urges Labour to act on anti-Semitism

Former PM argues anti-Jewish sentiment is ‘a problem of the conspiracy-theory left’

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Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, shown in 2014, said that the Labour Party had a problem with anti-Semitism. Photo: Reuters

Gordon Brown has called on Labour to support the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism “unanimously, unequivocally and immediately”, saying he “cannot be silent on an issue so fundamental to our future”.

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The former prime minister was speaking at the Jewish Labour Movement’s annual conference, two days before the party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) has to decide whether to adopt the code in full with all its examples, at a time of internal turmoil over the issue.

He conceded the party had a problem with anti-Semitism and needed to deal urgently with complaints that have clogged up its disciplinary procedures, arguing anti-Jewish sentiment was “a problem of the conspiracy-theory left”.

Britain's former Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Lord Sacks said the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, had “to express clear remorse” for remarks he made in 2013 about a group of “Zionists”.
Britain's former Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Lord Sacks said the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, had “to express clear remorse” for remarks he made in 2013 about a group of “Zionists”.

Brown said he was not appearing as “some sort of back seat driver”, but he had to speak out about anti-Semitism because equality and solidarity was “what the Labour Party is all about, or should be all about”.

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The speech did not mention the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, by name, or allude to him, and was clearly aimed at the crunch NEC meeting on Tuesday, which will debate whether to adopt the IHRA code with all its examples, a stance now supported by the leadership after a summer of controversy.

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