Angela Eagle did face homophobic abuse after challenge to Corbyn – leaked report

Leaked details from a confidential report into Angela Eagle’s local Labour Party have revealed the former shadow Business Secretary was subjected to homophobia and that the brick thrown through her office window was “very likely” to be linked to her leadership challenge.

Wallasey constituency Labour Party (CLP) was suspended in the summer over allegations of intimidation and abuse, and Eagle subsequently backed an inquiry into the allegations. The ensuing report determined that the culture of the local party is “toxic and divided in the extreme”.

Responding to the document, Eagle said: “It is now clear and accepted by the NEC that homophobic abuse was perpetrated by some members of the local party; I will simply not tolerate it, and I know I have the backing of both Jeremy and union leaders when I say that there is no place for it in the Labour movement either.”

According to the Liverpool Echo, the report found:

“The investigation has found that some members have truthfully claimed that homophobic instances occurred during the AGM. Others truthfully said that they were not aware of those instances.

“It is possible for the events to have occurred without the knowledge of all members. The allegations are not that the CLP is institutionally homophobic or that members were aware of homophobia but took no action, but are specific to individuals. These allegations will be reported to the Disputes Panel regarding individual disciplinary action.”

It also said that it was “highly likely that the brick thrown through the window of Angela Eagle’s office was related to her leadership challenge. The position of the window made it very unlikely that this was a random passer-by.” It dismissed claims that the situation was fabricated, or that another organisation in the building may have been targeted as “categorically untrue”.

Speaking to the Fabian Review this summer, Eagle said she had faced down similar antics within the Labour Party during the 1980s – but claimed it was worse now, saying: “We didn’t used to get death threats in the 1980s.”

The report claims there “has been a high level of inter-member abuse in Wallasey”, and that several respondents to the inquiry reported that “one member loudly threatened physical violence to another member”, concluding “this culture is toxic and it is self-perpetuating”.

In a statement, Eagle said:

“I am proud to have been the Member of Parliament for Wallasey for 24 years and to have had a good relationship with most local Labour activists for all of that time.

“I am grateful that Jeremy took the unusual step of both attending and speaking in the meeting and that he expressed sincere sympathy for both me and for my staff.

“It is now clear and accepted by the NEC that homophobic abuse was perpetrated by some members of the local party; I will simply not tolerate it, and I know I have the backing of both Jeremy and union leaders when I say that there is no place for it in the Labour movement either.

“As regards the vandalism of my office, I am grateful to both the internal investigators and the NEC for making clear both the facts of the matter and for the support of members up and down the country, including the leader of the Labour Party, that such abuse both happened and is intolerable.”