Antisemitism report author calls for fresh Labour party review

Baroness Royall, who investigated allegations of antisemitism amongst Labour students, has now called on the party to review the progress it made on her recommendations.

The author of a crucial report into antisemitism in Oxford University Labour Club in 2016, Royall said the party must show “political will” to implement the reforms she proposed back in 2016.

The Labour peer exclusively told LabourList: “It is timely that the party review the progress on implementing my report and the Chakrabati report into antisemitism.

“The reality is this is not rocket science. We all know what needs to be done – sadly there has been a lack of political will to have them implemented and restore the confidence of the British Jewish community.”

In 2016, Baroness Jan Royall found that there had been “incidents of antisemitic behaviour” involving members of the Oxford University Labour Club.

She wrote: “Some Jewish members do not feel comfortable attending the [OULC] meetings, let alone participating.”

Her latest comments come after a protest was held outside parliament by Jewish leaders on Monday against the handling of antisemitism within the Labour Party. The demonstration was attended by around 40 Labour MPs.

Royall is also calling for Labour to help the Jewish Labour Movement, a socialist society affiliated to the party, provide training about antisemitism.

Yesterday director of Labour centrist group Progress Richard Angell published a list of recommendations for “stamping out” antisemitism in the Labour Party.

The suggestions include implementation of the final recommendations of Shami Chakrabarti’s report and “a full audit of the actions taken since Jan Royall’s report [and] Chakrabarti’s report”.

Richard Angell said: “Jan Royall’s report was repressed and has now been shelved with little action, the Chakrabarti report goes largely implemented and the Home Affairs select committee report into antisemitism was rejected out of hand.

“It is time Labour put its house in order, dusted down the reviews and put in a plan for making the reports realities.”