Louise Ellman, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, has said she is “deeply concerned” after a document investigating the alleged behaviour of Liverpool Momentum activists was leaked.
The report highlighted the targeting of the Jewish MP and appeared to suggest the hard-left activists were intent on having the veteran politician deselected ahead of the next election.
In April, the JC revealed how Mrs Ellman had faced an orchestrated campaign, with activists “hell-bent” on attacking her at meetings of her constituency party.
Today, emails seen by the JC between members of the hard-left group reveal how they organised a meeting “in order to have a clear plan to stop the vote for an antisemitism allegation against three Momentum members".
One member of the Momentum branch in Liverpool Riverside, Mrs Ellman’s constituency, suggested “we have our eyes squarely set on building numbers and winning the CLP AGM in September/October.
“Any controversy up until then may count against us. I’d suggest that activists only bring up the issue of Israel/Palestine when it is absolutely relevant.
“If we continue to make virtuous yet tactically ineffective interventions at CLP meetings on Israel-Palestine then we may create too much controversy and therefore this could prevent our realistic goal at the AGM of denying Ellman a supportive base within the local structures of the party."
Another activist wrote: “Can I suggest that we leave the antisemitism issue until after the local elections.
“Louise Ellman is ready for it to come up at every CLP and has that martyred/victim look on her face whenever it’s mentioned.
“I think it’s suiting her, shoring up her strategy to displace the Left.”
A third Momentum member discussing the issue of Israel-Palestine, said the group were “not very likely to change Louise Ellman’s mind”, continuing by saying: “It doesn’t require too much empathy to understand why a Jewish woman born in 1945 might have a major blind spot on this issue.”
Mrs Ellman called on Labour “to take immediate action” following the revelations.
“The antisemitic remarks that have come to light in this report on Momentum in Liverpool Riverside CLP are disturbing – but sadly unsurprising given the nature of recent party meetings,” she told the JC.
“In the past year the Israel-Palestine conflict has been raised at meetings with increasing regularity with the intention of stoking up divisions within the CLP. It is clear in this report that figures within Liverpool Momentum have an almost obsessive focus on the state of Israel.
“Several party members, under investigation by Labour for their remarks at a recent CLP meeting, far from showing remorse for their appalling statements, have privately reinforced their views.
“The Labour Party should have a zero-tolerance approach to such appalling behaviour.”
Yesterday, it was revealed the Jewish Labour Movement’s decision to invite a series of controversial party figures to speak at a rally against antisemitism had led to anger from Jewish supporters who believed the plan would make the group “a laughing stock”.
Activists called for Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, MP Naz Shah, and Baroness Chakrabarti to be barred from the event after months of outrage over Labour’s response to the Jew-hate crisis.
