Jackie Walker expelled from the Labour Party

Jackie Walker has been expelled from Labour – after being suspended from the party for over two years – for “prejudicial and grossly detrimental” behaviour.

The former Momentum vice-chair – who is no longer a member of the Corbynite group – had suggested at a party conference event in 2016 that Holocaust Memorial Day should commemorate all genocides, and said she had not found a definition of antisemitism that she could work with.

The case against Walker, presented by the party over the last two days, focussed on a pattern of behaviour including comments on social media.

On the judgment today, a Labour spokesperson confirmed: “The national constitutional committee has found that the charges of breaches of party rules by Jackie Walker have been proven.

“The National Constitutional Committee consequently determined that the sanction for this breach of the rules is expulsion from Labour Party membership.”

Labour’s only affiliated Jewish group, the Jewish Labour Movement, issued a statement in response to the ruling describing it as “too late”.

During her long suspension, Walker was “free to make a mockery of the party’s processes because she was a political ally of the leadership, NEC members and had support from MPs”, a JLM spokesman said.

“Our members will be expected to be grateful. Instead, they’ll be angry it took so long, and angry that many people will want to say this is ‘job done’ on antisemitism in the party.”

A statement following news of Jackie Walker’s expulsion from the Labour Party: pic.twitter.com/ehbZM38FXX

— Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) March 27, 2019

Walker staged a walk-out from her disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, saying she was forced to withdraw when the panel refused to allow her to make an opening statement.

But Labour said it was applying its normal rules, which only grants the requests of individuals to speak after charges are presented, not before.

In response to Walker’s subsequent statement to the press, a party spokesperson yesterday said: “Jackie Walker has made a number of incorrect and misleading claims about this process.

“The procedures ensure due process and fair hearing, including the opportunity for individuals to fully state their case at their hearing. The process is the same for everyone and the order of the events is clearly explained to those involved in advance.”