Jeremy Corbyn

SINCE the moment Jeremy Corbyn stood to become leader of the Labour Party he has been remorselessly demonised and vilified by the Tories, the press, and Progress, the powerful right-wing organisation within Labour of which Margaret Hodge is a prominent member.

Some of the smears against him – that he sabotaged the EU Remain campaign, that he “looks down on women” and treats female MPs like “arm candy”, that he was a Russian spy, are ludicrous. But the anti-Semitism one has gained traction.

Now Corbyn is lambasted by the press for “refusing” to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. One virulently anti-Corbyn pro-Tory newspaper had a front-page picture with Corbyn with the headline: “You are an anti-Semite.”

The giant headline covering pages two and three was: “Fury as Labour rejects IHRAs definition.” Most newspapers have said the same. But it is simply not true.

Labour’s code of conduct on anti-Semitism adopts and quotes word for word, in its entirety, the IHRA definition and seven of the eleven examples, accepts three of the other four and half of the eleventh.

Instead of being misled by the press and Progress, every reader of this newspaper should look up Labour’s code of conduct on anti-Semitism and the IHRA’s definition on the internet. Compare the two, and judge for themselves.

PETE GILMAN
N1