Labour pays ‘substantial damages’ to whistleblowers who sued party over anti-semitism row

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THE LABOUR party has paid ‘substantial damages’ to seven whistleblowers who sued the party over an anti-semitism row.

This morning Labour apologised “unreservedly”  and admitted defaming the individuals who contributed to a Panorama investigation into how the party handled the issue.

The incidents took place while Jeremy Corbyn was leader of the party

Labour agreed it had made “defamatory” and “false allegations” against those involved in the Panorama programme Is Labour Antisemitic?.

In an explosive high court case the party agreed to pay out between £600,000 and £750,000, and issued a formal apology to BBC reporter John Ware who worked on the programme.

They also apologised to their ex-employees who bravely spoke out on the issue last year.

It said: “The Labour party is here today to publicly set the record straight, and to apologise to the claimants for the distress and embarrassment that it has caused them.”

The incidents took place while Jeremy Corbyn was leader of the party.

The party is currently being investigated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission over allegations of anti-Semitism.

After becoming leader in 2015, Mr Corbyn was dogged by claims the party harbours anti-Semitic activists and campaigners.

The ex-staffers included Louise Withers-Green, Sam Matthews, Dan Hogan, Ben Westerman, Martha Robinson, Kat Buckingham and Michael Creighton.

They worked in the Labour party’s governance and legal unit and were responsible for dealing with allegations of misconduct.

Ms Withers-Green has now revealed the former employees endured a torrent of abuse since the programme aired.

She said:“It feels like it is closing a chapter where the libel against us has been retracted, but this is only a first step for the party in beginning to tackle antisemitism.

“I had never expected the party to welcome the Panorama programme with open arms. But I had been expecting them to take responsibility in the long-term for what was happening and truly want to take action. I never expected we would be called bad faith actors.”

Speaking after the verdict, the Labour Party issued an “unreserved apology” to Mr Ware and vowed to crack down on anti-Semitism.

It said: “Under the leadership of Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner, we are committed to tackling antisemitism within the Labour Party. Antisemitism has been a stain on the Labour Party in recent years.

“It has caused unacceptable and unimaginable levels of grief and distress for many in the Jewish community, as well as members of staff. 

“If we are to restore the trust of the Jewish community, we must demonstrate a change of leadership.”

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.hellofaread.com/politics/uk-passport-backlog-around-400000-brits-left-without-passports-after-unions-block-return-of-civil-servants/