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Margaret Hodge calls Momentum founder's comments 'ridiculous': Block motion passed 22-12 The founder of the left-wing lobby group Momentum was convicted for comparing Keir Starmer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin for preventing Jeremy Corbyn from running for the Labor Party. Sir Keir's decision to bar the former leader from running was endorsed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) on Tuesday, where the leader's motion passed 22-12.
Corbyn strongly suggested that he would oppose Labor as an independent, saying he had "no intention of giving up" representing Islington North, adding: "I will not be intimidated by silence."
Momentum founder Jon Lansman said Sir Keir was behaving like a 'Labor Putin' for preventing the former leader from running as a Labor candidate in his Islington North constituency.
"We have to recognize that the radical policies we had under Jeremy Corbyn...were not the problem," he told Times Radio. “The party always supports them. I think we should continue to campaign for radical politics.
Mr. Lansman added: “We are a democratic party. It is not an authoritarian party. Unfortunately, Keir Starmer behaves as if he is some kind of Putin of the Labor Party. This is not how politics is done. »
But Dame Margaret Hodge said her comments were "half laughable" in endorsing Sir Keir's decision to block Corbyn from the party's five-hour NEC meeting.
"It is totally inappropriate and ridiculous to compare a dictator waging war to someone who has zero tolerance for racism in the form of anti-Semitism within the Labor Party and who stands up for what is right," said the veteran Labor MP and activist. .
Corbyn remains a Labor member but sits as an independent after being suspended for failing to provide an adequate response to the EHRC's damning 2020 anti-Semitism report.
Allies have suggested Corbyn will stand as an independent in Islington North, the post he has held since 1983. "There will be an announcement at the end of the week," one source told The Times, while another said: "The debate is on. will perform.
In a statement, Corbyn said the NEC's decision to block his Labor bid for Islington North was "a shameful attack on party democracy, party membership and natural justice" and "shows contempt for the millions of people who voted for our party in 2017 and 2019”.
He said: "Keir Starmer has instead launched an attack on the rights of his own Labor members, breaking his promise to build a united, democratic party that advances social, economic and climate justice."
Allies say Jeremy Corbyn will oppose Labor as an independent
Corbyn added: “I will not be intimidated by silence. I have spent my life fighting for a fairer society on behalf of the people of Islington North and I have no intention of stopping now.
Opposing Labor would likely get him suspended or expelled from the party. It is unclear whether other Labor members could be expelled for supporting him in Islington North.
Momentum condemned Sir Keir's decision as a "venal and deceitful act", describing Tuesday's NEC decision as "a dark day for democracy".
A spokesperson for the group added: "This anti-democratic attack is a slap in the face to the millions inspired by Jeremy's leadership and further damages the Labor Party."
Sir Keir Starmer decided to block Jeremy Corbyn in Islington North
Labor MP Shabana Mahmood, the party's national campaign coordinator, said the decision was "a clear demonstration that Keir is making changes to our party to ensure we can win back the trust of the British people."
She said Mr Corbyn had "failed" to meet his responsibilities "and that is why we made the decision we have today."
Responding to claims that the move is undemocratic, Ms Mahmood said: "Constituency members have the opportunity to vote, and they still do, but it is still up to the NEC to approve these candidates, so it is the NEC the one that does exactly what is there." do.
Ed Miliband insisted there was "no mystery" about Sir Keir's offer to bar Corbyn from standing in the next election, after the motion referring to Tillage's electoral prospects was published.
However, the motion argues that Labour's electoral prospects would be "significantly diminished" if Corbyn were allowed to stand as a candidate, rather than his handling of the EHRC report.
"I'm not aware of exactly what is going on within the national executive, but I don't think there is any mystery as to the context of today's discussion within the national executive committee," Miliband told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Miliband added: “This is one thing, which is about Jeremy Corbyn's reaction to the EHRC report on anti-Semitism and his refusal to apologize for that reaction. This is the context of this. I don't think there is any mystery about it.
He also felt pressured by concerns from Martin Forde QC, the lawyer who carried out an internal party culture review, that Labor has a "hierarchy" that views Islamophobia and anti-black racism as less taken. Seriously than antisemitism.
“I certainly don't have that hierarchy. This is not the case with Keir Starmer,” Miliband said. "The Labor Party must be a safe place for ethnic minorities, for people of all origins, and all forms of racism, all forms of prejudice and all forms of discrimination must be taken equally seriously."
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Jeremy Corbyn banned from running for Labor following a motion by Keir Starmer
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