LONDON: Indian-born economist, author and colleague Lord Meghnad Desai has resigned as a member of the UK’s Opposition Labor Party for failing to effectively tackle anti-Semitic racism within its ranks.
The 80-year-old partner said he has only been a supporter of the Labor Party, but was forced to make the decision to cancel his membership on Thursday after 49 years after former party leader Jeremy Corbyn was reinstated after just 19 days of suspension despite findings of “illegal acts” by the country’s human rights watchdog.
“It was a very peculiar decision to allow him to return without any apology. He has been denied the party whip in the House of Commons for a few months, but that is a very unconvincing response to a very big crisis, ”Lord Desai said.
“I have felt very uncomfortable and a bit ashamed that the party has been injected with this kind of racism. Jewish MPs were openly abused and female members were controlled. It’s racism outside and outside, ”he said.
The Labor Party has been plagued with accusations of anti-Semitism over the years, and its disastrous electoral defeat in the December 2019 elections is also linked to the crisis.
Sir Keir Starmer took office as the party’s new leader this year promising to rid the party of the scourge and had taken the step of suspending Corbyn last month after he appeared to downplay the highly critical findings of the Equality Commission. and Human Rights (EHRC). The watchdog had found that the Labor Party had broken the law by failing to handle anti-Semitism or anti-Jewish complaints and there were “serious flaws” on the part of its leadership at the time.
“I don’t see things really changing in the foreseeable future and ultimately I have to live with my conscience. I can’t stay in an anti-Semitic party, ”Desai said, even though he emphasized that he has no plans to join any other political party.
He has sent his letter of resignation to the Leader of the Labor Party in the House of Lords, Baroness Angela Smith, and despite many calls for her to reconsider, he will now sit as an independent pair while his application to be part of Crossbench’s group of the Upper House of the UK Parliament is underway.
The 80-year-old partner said he has only been a supporter of the Labor Party, but was forced to make the decision to cancel his membership on Thursday after 49 years after former party leader Jeremy Corbyn was reinstated after just 19 days of suspension despite findings of “illegal acts” by the country’s human rights watchdog.
“It was a very peculiar decision to allow him to return without any apology. He has been denied the party whip in the House of Commons for a few months, but that is a very unconvincing response to a very big crisis, ”Lord Desai said.
“I have felt very uncomfortable and a bit ashamed that the party has been injected with this kind of racism. Jewish MPs were openly abused and female members were controlled. It’s racism outside and outside, ”he said.
The Labor Party has been plagued with accusations of anti-Semitism over the years, and its disastrous electoral defeat in the December 2019 elections is also linked to the crisis.
Sir Keir Starmer took office as the party’s new leader this year promising to rid the party of the scourge and had taken the step of suspending Corbyn last month after he appeared to downplay the highly critical findings of the Equality Commission. and Human Rights (EHRC). The watchdog had found that the Labor Party had broken the law by failing to handle anti-Semitism or anti-Jewish complaints and there were “serious flaws” on the part of its leadership at the time.
“I don’t see things really changing in the foreseeable future and ultimately I have to live with my conscience. I can’t stay in an anti-Semitic party, ”Desai said, even though he emphasized that he has no plans to join any other political party.
He has sent his letter of resignation to the Leader of the Labor Party in the House of Lords, Baroness Angela Smith, and despite many calls for her to reconsider, he will now sit as an independent pair while his application to be part of Crossbench’s group of the Upper House of the UK Parliament is underway.
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