Labour’s ruling body has voted to adopt the full international definition of anti-Semitism following months of criticism.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition was incorporated into Labour’s code of conduct in July but not all its examples were included.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell became the most senior Labour figure to call for the party to fully adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.
Mr McDonnell had said he hoped the party’s National Executive Committee would adopt all the examples acknowledged by the party.
The change comes following a row over activist Peter Willsman’s re-election to the NEC, after he called some members of the Jewish community ‘Trump fanatics’ and accused them of making up allegations of anti-Semitism. His comments saw him disowned by the pro-Jeremy Corbyn campaign group Momentum. But on Monday, he was elected to serve another two-year term on the NEC. Mr McDonnell acknowledged the party should have moved more quickly to resolve the row which dominated headlines over the summer.
Critics of the IHRA approach have claimed it could restrict their ability to criticise the Israeli government’s actions against Palestinians and protests are expected outside Labour’s London HQ urging the NEC to reject the examples. Speaking to BBC Radio Kent, Mr McDonnell said he wanted an acceptance of the IHRA definition and examples’ but also ‘freedom of speech so people are free to criticise Israel and its policies, free to advocate the rights of the Palestinians, but at the same time make sure it’s done in language that’s acceptable’. He acknowledged the row had ‘dragged on and I think we should have addressed it much sooner’.
