Corbyn opponents used anti-Semitism issue to undermine him: McCluskey

LONDON: Opponents of Jeremy Corbyn “used the anti-Semitism issue” faced by Labour to undermine the leader, according to a union boss.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said he believed such actions were “quite despicable”, after also acknowledging Labour “never handled the anti-Semitism issue correctly”.

McCluskey also said it was “unfair” to describe Labour leadership hopeful Rebecca Long-Bailey as “continuity Corbyn”, arguing she backs the “radical nature” of the alternative offered by the party but will have different priorities to Corbyn.

Unite has supported Ms Long-Bailey for the leadership and Richard Burgon as deputy. Appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, McCluskey acknowledged Labour’s response to anti-Semitism allegations could have been better. He also said: “I’m absolutely convinced that there were those individuals who opposed Jeremy Corbyn’s election right from the beginning, used the anti-Semitism issue - which I think is quite despicable that they did this on such an important subject - to undermine Corbyn, there’s no doubt about that.”

Comments from Sheffield City Council leader Julie Dore were quoted at McCluskey, including how she does not want a “continuity Corbyn candidate”.

Mr McCluskey, in his reply, said: “When Julie says she doesn’t want a continuity Corbyn candidate, she didn’t want Corbyn as a candidate and there’s lots of these leaders who are anti-Corbyn so of course they’ll try to stick Rebecca with the same tags and that’s deeply unfair of them.”

He described Ms Long-Bailey as “completely different” from Corbyn. When told she agrees with all of Corbyn’s policies, McCluskey replied: “I don’t know she agrees with all his policies, I think she agrees with the radical nature of the alternative that Labour offers the electorate but she’ll have her different views about what her priorities are.” Earlier, McCluskey told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday that Labour’s election defeat was “virtually, solely down to Brexit” and defended the party’s policies on other matters. He said: “Two years ago Jeremy Corbyn was loved. What happened in the last two years? Brexit, and Labour’s inability to effectively stay with their 2017 manifesto position of respecting the 2016 referendum and arguing to take Labour and the country out of Europe on a deal that protects jobs and investment.

“That got lost in the two years and that affected how people perceived Jeremy as a leader and we paid the consequences for that.”

Asked if Burgon and Dawn Butler should be ruled out of the deputy leadership contest if they do not sign up to the Board of Deputies’ 10 pledges to “end the anti-Semitism crisis”, McCluskey replied: “Both Dawn and Richard have made it clear that they believe there’s a need for more debate and discussion about a couple of the points that are in the Board of Deputies’ pledges - most of them are fine but a couple of them need further consideration.” He added: “For people to call for them to be kicked out of the race is utter nonsense.”

Elsewhere, Labour leadership candidate Emily Thornberry said the party should be led by its Scottish members over its national policy on a second independence referendum.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme, she was asked whether she would allow the Scottish Parliament to decide if there should be another poll if recommended by Scottish Labour. The shadow foreign secretary replied: “I think we should be led by the Scottish party.”

She also backed her chances of making it through to the final round of the leadership contest, saying she thought she would win the required support from constituency parties.