LONDON (Labour Buzz) - Rebecca Long Bailey has been sacked as Shadow Education Secretary after sharing an interview in the Independent with the actor Maxine Peake, which contained a claim that Police in the US had been trained in the choke hold which killed George Floyd by Israeli Security Forces.
A spokesperson for Keir Starmer said: “This afternoon Keir Starmer asked Rebecca Long Bailey to step down from the shadow cabinet. The article Rebecca shared earlier contained an antisemitic conspiracy theory. As leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer has been clear restoring trust with the Jewish Community is his number one priority. Antisemitism takes many forms and it is important that we are all vigilant against it.”
It seems strange that Starmer would suggest that restoring trust with the Jewish community is his number one priority. It should be paramount yes, but perhaps equality would be a bolder, fairer and more apt FIRST priority.
In the article which appeared in the independent, Peake spoke about her support for Jeremy Corbyn, her disdain for the Tories and her opposition to capitalism, but it was one sentence towards the end of the article which stirred up the controversy.
“The tactics used by the police in America, kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, that was learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Israeli police has denied the allegation and stated, ‘there is no tactic or protocol which calls to put pressure on the neck or airway.’
Long Bailey retweeted the article but was quick to issue a clarification: “Retweeted Maxine Peake’s article because of her significant achievements and because the thrust of her argument is to stay in the Labour Party. It wasn’t intended to be an endorsement of all aspects of the article.”
Even so the knives were out and Starmer was quick to react. By the middle of the afternoon she had been asked to resign. His supporters proclaimed it as quick and decisive leadership, but others were quick to call it an overreaction.
Guardian columnist Owen Jones Tweeted: “Sacking Rebecca Long-Bailey for sharing an interview in *the Independent* with one of Britain's most celebrated actors because of a sentence uttered by Maxine Peake which the Independent initially justified with a link to an Amnesty International report is an absurd overreaction.”
He also faced criticism from former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnel who said: “Throughout discussion of anti-Semitism it's always been said criticism of practices of Israeli state is not anti-Semitic. "I don't believe therefore that this article is or Rebecca Long-Bailey should've been sacked. I stand in solidarity with her."
Jon Lansman, founder of the Labour activist group Momentum, described her sacking as “a reckless over-reaction from someone who promised to end factionalism in the party and political interference in disciplinary matters. Keir has now made these tasks harder.”
However, the Jewish Labour Movement came out strongly in favour of his actions.
“Jewish Labour Movement statement in response to Rebecca Long-Bailey’s resignation. The culture of an organisation is determined by the values of those who lead it. We welcome Keir Starmer’s actions and hope that the Party, at every level, reflect and learn from this.”
Starmer’s intervention will please his base and those in the Jewish Labour Movement who were keen to turn the page on antisemitism. It will also delight plenty of those who will be keen so see a Corbyn ally removed from the front bench.
However, he’ll have strained relations with supporters of Corbyn and Long Bailey who had been prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. To take power, Starmer will need the support of all wings of the Labour movement. There’s a good chance he just lost one of them today, and he may have fallen fowl of the difference of antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli government.
(Written by Tom Cropper, edited by Michael O'Sullivan)