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Labour finally abandons legal action against Corbyn staff as ‘eye-watering’ costs mount

With media attention focused on GE 2024, you’d be forgiven for having overlooked news that the Labour Party has finally abandoned its longstanding legal action against five former members of Jeremy Corbyn’s office team during his leadership, including his Director of Communications Seumas Milne. The five were accused of ‘conspiring’ against Keir Starmer’s leadership by leaking a controversial report soon after he was elected leader in 2020. They ‘strenuously deny’ any involvement or complicity in the leak.

The 860-page leaked document which ostensibly examined the handling of antisemitism complaints during the Corbyn period, included unredacted emails and WhatsApp messages from critics of his leadership, which exposed factionalism and derogatory comments about Corbyn, his staff and MPs who supported him. The Forde report found, for example: ‘the criticisms of Diane Abbott are not simply a harsh response to perceived poor performance – they are expressions of visceral disgust.’

The legal suit is estimated to have cost the Labour Party millions of pounds. Documents presented in open court in late 2023 showed Labour had spent £1.5m on its action at that time, and estimated it would spend nearly £900,000 more. The figures do not reflect the full cost of the litigation. It remains unclear whether or not the party will meet the costs of the five.

A BBC report includes the view of one unnamed former shadow cabinet member that ‘this is a huge embarrassment for the party, which has wasted eye-watering sums which could have made the difference in key seats in this election’. Martin Forde KC, the lawyer who carried out the wide-ranging report into Labour Party culture told the BBC: ‘It is a great shame that money has been spent on legal fees that could have been spent on the general election.’

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CND at Labour Conference 2022

Jeremy Corbyn was one of the many MPs to joins staff at the CND stand

CND’s Wages Not Weapons theme proved a winner at Labour’s 2022 annual conference, and the CND stand did a roaring trade throughout the four days in Liverpool. Awareness of US nukes coming to Lakenheath had also grown, and it too was a recurring theme of discussion with passers-by.

The number of Young Labour and Labour Student visitors to our fringe meeting was up on previous years, reflecting how the danger of nuclear conflict over Ukraine was driving the issue into people’s consciousness. We were delighted too with the amount of follow up at the CND stand after the fringe meeting.

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Join Jeremy Corbyn and friends at LabCND’s annual conference

PROGRAMME

Keynote speech by Fabian Hamilton MP
Shadow Minister for Peace & Disarmament

Roundtable with Jeremy Corbyn
US academic & peace activist Phyllis Bennis
and Gemma Bolton Labour NEC (pers cap)

Nuclear Ban Communities initiative breakout with Emma Dent-Coad and Matt Fawcett

Green Futures breakout with Sam Mason and Rae Street

with a little music from Hugh Greenacre

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REGISTER IN ADVANCE at LabCND Conf 2021

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There’s plenty happening for our guests to mull over on Sunday:

*** COVID – the government has spent £280 bn on Covid protection measures so far, and there’s still a long way to go. Trident replacement is costing £205 bn. Britain’s nuclear weapons system does nothing to protect us from any of the threats identified by successive UK governments for over a decade. Cancelling the project would go a long way to releasing some urgently-needed extra funding.

*** BUDGET – the UK economy has experienced the largest fall in over 300 years and government borrowing is at its highest ever level outside wartime. Why are we clinging to a nuclear weapons system that costs the earth?

*** MILITARY SPENDING – according to the Chancellor, the UK economy’s shrunk by 10%, so why are the Tories increasing MoD spending by 10% a year for the lifetime of this parliament? Labour CND is lobbying the Labour leadership not to support this increase.

*** TRIDENT – a recent edition of BBC Newsnight revealed the Tory government is lobbying President Biden to renew Trump’s commitment to funding the nuclear warhead which it shares with the UK’s Trident system, following the new administration’ announcement that it’s considering cutting back its $19 billion military spending package

*** GREEN NEW DEAL – nuclear, the elephant in the room

*** TREATY ON THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS – the TPNW passed into international law in January. The British government has said it will never sign up. Learn how the Nuclear Ban Communities initiative is chipping away at the impass

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Project for Peace and Justice set to launch

Register now for Jeremy Corbyn’s Project for Peace and Justice which launches 17 January with a start line up. The webinar includes Jeremy Corbyn will be joined by Zarah Sultana MP, Ronnie Kasrils, a South African Minister under Nelson Mandela, Yanis Varoufakis, Former Greek Finance Minister, climate campaigner Scarlett Westbrook, Unite’s Len McCluskey, and Baroness Christine Blower, former teachers leader.

‘You don’t have to take what you’re given. You don’t have to live without power and without hope. Things can, and they will change,’ says Corbyn. Visit the P&J website and read the mission statement of a project that aims to bring people together for social and economic justice, peace, and human rights, in Britain and across the world.

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Join Labour CND’s campaign against Johnson’s military spending spree

On 19 November, in a House of Commons update on the Integrated Review, Boris Johnson’s announced a huge military spendig hike. Reaffirmed by Chancellor Richi Sunak’s autumn statement, the government is committed to an increase of £24.1 billion over 4 years — that’s £16 bn in addition to the 0.5% above-inflation increase already promised. Responding for Labour, Keir Starmer welcomed the increase. Let Labour know their support for this Tories spending spree is misguided. Here’s what you can do:

Join Jeremy Corbyn and guests on Sunday, register here to attend our webinar co-hosted by our partners from Arise, A Festival of Labour’s Left Ideas
Download our model motion for your branch or constituency Labour Party
And please contact your Labour MP via our online lobby

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Labour CND statement on the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn

Labour CND stands in solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn, a lifelong anti-racist, peace and anti-war campaigner, as his record of fighting oppression and discrimination attests.

We reaffirm our commitment to opppose anti-semitism and all forms of racism. We believe the action taken against Jeremy undermines the unity of the Labour Party.

Labour CND opposes the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn and pledges to campaign for his reinstatement.

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Corbyn backs NEC candidates

Jeremy Corbyn was quick to tweet his support for the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance candidates for Labour’s NEC elections which take place over the summer. The Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs has also backed them, saying: ‘As the left grouping within the Parliamentary Labour Party, the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs formally endorses the @CLGALabour slate for the National Executive Committee Elections.’

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Remembering Walter Wolfgang

On 29 May, the first anniversary of Walter Wolfgang’s death, Labour CND hosted a commemoration of his life with Jeremy Corbyn and friends. The live zoom meeting was over-subscribed. If you were one of those unlucky few who didnt get access, or if you’re hearing about it for the first time, you can watch the celebration of Walter’s long and active life below.