Six years ago, when Sir Keir Starmer became leader of the Labour Party, the first thing he did was apologise to the Jewish community.
It was a heartfelt apology, fuelled by understanding and empathy. The Labour Party was institutionally antisemitic, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission set up by the last Labour government had found it guilty and Jewish members had left in their masses.
The Labour Party is unrecognisable today compared to what it was then. And that’s thanks to the leadership and clear vision from Keir Starmer.
Gone are the days when Labour was tied in knots over which definition of antisemitism to use, scandal after scandal from local parties and candidates dropped frequently for hateful views. The Jewish community was anxious about what Labour would do in government, and exhausted from constantly having to explain the antisemitism crisis that had gripped Corbyn’s Labour Party.
Keir’s action was decisive and swift. He knew that to be effective, he needed to have a zero-tolerance policy, and this was successfully implemented: antisemitic members expelled, the Labour Party given clear training from the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM), thorough vetting of candidates, local parties focused on campaigning not foreign policy.
Keir Starmer deserves the credit for the wholesale change in the Labour Party. We would not have been fit for government otherwise – something the prime minister recognised whilst speaking in front of Number 10.
He’s shaped the future of the Labour Party too. In changing the Labour Party’s rulebook requiring MP nominations for leader to jump from 5 per cent to 20 per cent, it is far less likely for a far-left challenger to succeed and undo the progress that has been made.
The Jewish community voted for the Labour Party in 2024 – with key seats such as Finchley and Golders Green, Hendon and Chipping Barnet switching from Conservative to Labour, some for the first time ever. Jewish MPs were elected up and down the country from all walks of life. The new MPs elected in 2024 are of a far higher calibre, and have engaged with their local Jewish communities genuinely and sincerely, building relationships and friendships that have withstood the challenges of late.
Much has been done since entering government, amidst a global rising tidal wave of antisemitism. An emotional response to the antisemitic terror attack at Heaton Park on Yom Kippur, record funding for CST for the protection of Jewish community infrastructure, a well-received community cohesion strategy and instantly replacing the Hatzola ambulances are just some of the choices I hope this government are remembered for.
Despite this, I know many in the community are disappointed in how the government has approached policy on Israel in the past two years.
The government's approach to Israel and Palestine has been one centred on foreign policy, not prejudice. Choices that not all in the Jewish community will support or have taken, but ones that are based on a genuine desire to resolve the conflict and to see a two-state solution, as so many of us do.
As the Labour Party begins a leadership contest, JLM will hold all candidates to account to ensure that they have the same dedication, such that we never find the Labour Party in the position under Corbyn again.
We will use our rights and responsibilities as an affiliate of the party to shape the future of Labour, and with it, the country. We will not let Keir’s good work be undone.
Keir Starmer is a good man, with a strong sense of right and wrong, and a drive towards fairness and dignity. He deserves credit for turning around the Labour Party when many thought it was not possible. He led the Labour Party out of the political wilderness, out of institutional racism and into government. He transformed the Labour Party into one that Jewish members could proudly re-join, campaign for and represent. And one that Jewish people could vote for once again.
It was a remarkable feat that I sincerely hope history and our community remember him for.
Thank you, Keir.
Ella Rose-Jacobs is the Jewish Labour Movement’s national chair.
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