Many people hoped that anti-Semitism within the Labour Party would die with Jeremy Corbyn.
End of an era
After Labour’s enormous defeat in the 2019 General Election, traditional Labour members gave a sigh of relief as Jeremy Corbyn stepped down as party leader.
Labour’s defeat was a product of many socialist policies that the public did not want.
Combine this with inconsistency and rampant hypocrisy and you get the worst election result in 80 years.
A ‘new beginning’
To start with, many people viewed Sir Keir Starmer as a more centrist and rational politician than his predecessor.
Labour had hoped to move on from the investigation into anti-Semitism within the party from the Equality and Human Rights Commission but, unfortunately, this was not the end.
Reverting to old ways
Yesterday, Keir Starmer held a video call with Husam Zomlot, an alleged Holocaust denier.
Zomlot was a rallying advocate in the Labour Party, calling for the boycott of Israeli products in 2019.
Prior to this, he has also told the BBC in 2014 that he believes Israel is “fabricating” reality about Holocaust events in Iraq.
Many Labour supporters are once again questioning the company kept by their leader and whether Labour’s attitude towards anti-Semitism has actually changed.
Starmer is now deciding to re-engage with members previously acquainted with Jeremy Corbyn.
This choice is being perceived as hypocritical by many traditional and rational Labour supporters.
It was not too long ago that we were hearing Starmer distance himself from Corbyn’s anti-Semitism by pledging for change. Less than six months ago, Starmer said he was “disappointed” with Jeremy Corbyn’s response to highlighted incidents of anti-Semitism.
The future of Labour
Recent Westminster voting intention polling shows the Conservatives once again increasing their lead over Labour to 13%.
Given Labour’s reluctance to change since their historic defeat, is it any wonder that people do not trust them?
Labour is claiming to be the party for the working class and yet only 22% of the working class currently support them. It is obvious that anti-Semitism is a driving factor in pushing lifelong members away.
Yesterday’s video call was the last straw for some Labour supporters. Despite already being investigated for anti-Semitism, there has been no clear change.
The only question that now remains is: “When will Labour be held accountable for the anti-Semitism infesting their party?”
