This complaint was sent to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) on 11 March 2019.
To Whom it May Concern
I am contacting you as one the subjects of an article headed ‘Seamus Milne and Corbyn aide blocked anti-semitism suspensions’ (Sunday Times, 10 March 2019).
The article reads:
The Sunday Times has also been passed a tape of John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, admitting he is supporting a woman suspended as a Labour candidate over comments about “Zionist sympathies” of a Jewish MP. Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt was dropped as candidate for South Thanet last year — and now plans to sue the party. But McDonnell said: “I’ve expressed my support for Rebecca.”
This breaks clause 1i of the editors’ code ‘The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information’ in the following ways.
My endorsement as the Labour Party’s parliamentary candidate was refused by the ruling National Executive Committee at the end of last year on the basis of three tweets. None of these made reference to the ‘Zionist sympathies’ of a Jewish MP. This erroneous claim was first made by the Guido Fawkes blog and recirculated by the Jewish Chronicle and Private Eye, none of which seem to be regulated by IPSO. The correct information is freely available in the public domain, on the parliamentary website, on an open Facebook page, on a GoFundMe page and in various properly researched articles such as this one.
The Sunday Times article further misleads the public by using the word ‘suspended’ in relation to my case, by suggesting that John McDonnell’s public declaration of support could affect the outcome of my case in any way and by conflating my case with that of Glyn Secker.
This is a clear example of inaccurate, misleading and distorted journalism that I would like to have investigated.
Yours faithfully
Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt
Smeared Labour candidate fights back
In this article for the Electronic Intifada from 8 February 2019, Asa Winstanley captures the anger within South Thanet Labour Party in the face of the NEC panel’s unjust decision.
The article hints at the lunacy of the NEC allowing itself to be dictated to by the right-wing Guido Fawkes. It also captures our consternation about the NEC “ignoring the will of the members and denying one of its democratically elected parliamentary candidates the right to a fair hearing.”
I am quoted as saying “I was all set to walk away before Christmas, but I’ve been amazed and inspired by the response of Labour Party members.”
“After eight months of great teamwork, the verdict of the local party seems to be that they still want me as their candidate.”
“The last thing I want to do is go to court, but we have to make the Labour Party more accountable to its members and this seems to be the only way of doing it.”
Read the full article here.
Motion from Ramsgate branch
At the General Committee meeting of South Thanet Labour Party on 28 January 2019, a motion was presented by Ramsgate branch. It was overwhelmingly accepted by the delegates present as follows:
Ramsgate Branch notes and disagrees with the NEC regarding their decision not to endorse RGN as the PPC for South Thanet.
The NEC has a responsibility if not a duty to ensure that proper procedures are followed, especially in sensitive cases that have yet to be fully investigated by the NCC. It is unreasonable and unfair for the NEC or the endorsement panel to make a decision on selection based on an incomplete process that still has the status of an allegation. The panel is not the arbiter of the complaint and as such should have recommended a deferral of the endorsement decision until the NCC completed the process and the NEC should have endorsed such a view and secondly sought to ensure that the complaint process be rapidly completed.
For these reasons, Ramsgate branch asks the CLP to submit its grave concerns to the NEC about the process and insist that there should be no selection procedure instigated until this matter is properly resolved.
A Democratic Deficit
The February issue of Labour Briefing features an article about the South Thanet struggle, written by South Thanet Labour Party’s Vice Chair, Norman Thomas, in a personal capacity.
Norman provides a bit of background to the smear campaign that has been waged against South Thanet’s parliamentary campaign since it began in April. The article also captures some of the anger that has pervaded the CLP since an NEC panel decided not to endorse its democratically elected parliamentary candidate.
You can read the full article here.
To subscribe to Labour Briefing, the journal of the Labour Representation Committee, click here.
David Shrigley Artwork Auctioned to Raise Funds for Legal Case
To celebrate me being selected as the Labour Party’s parliamentary candidate for South Thanet, my dear friend David Shrigley gave me a brilliant artwork to do with as I wished.
As we embark on the next round of fundraising for legal action, it seems only right to put this artwork towards the campaign. In the time it takes to reach the reserve price, have some fun bidding on it here.
Rejected parliamentary candidate considering taking Labour to court
Trust the Morning Star to hit the nail on the head in its coverage of the South Thanet struggle from 23 January 2019. I am proud to be quoted as follows:
“The last thing I want to do is go to court, but we have to make the Labour Party more accountable to its members and this seems to be the only way of doing it.
“I want to stress that this is in no way an attack on the Labour Party leadership. I joined the party to support [Jeremy Corbyn], and I now find myself facing some of the same false allegations that have characterised his leadership.”
You can read the full article here or here:
Labour’s NEC refused to endorse Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt on the grounds she could ‘potentially bring the party into disrepute’
A SOCIALIST historian banned from standing as a parliamentary candidate by Labour revealed today that she is reluctantly considering taking the party to the High Court.
The Constituency Labour Party of South Thanet elected Dr Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt as its parliamentary candidate last April, but the national executive committee (NEC) refused to endorse her in December.
The committee made its decision on the grounds that her conduct “has the potential to bring the party into disrepute” based on three Twitter posts on the now deleted Centre for Cultural Change account.
One of the tweets was in support of former Momentum vice-chair Jacqueline Walker, which said that accusations of anti-semitism levelled at her were “politically motivated.”
A second tweet read: “Anti-semitism has been weaponised by those who seek to silence anti-zionist voices. See The Lynching endorsed by Ken Loach, for elucidation.”
The third was: “Accusations of AS [anti-semitism] levelled in an attempt to discredit the left.”
Earlier this month, Jewish Voice for Labour said the grounds for the decision were “appalling” and “highly questionable.”
South Thanet CLP has called on the NEC’s organisation committee to review the decision but so far it has refused.
High Court action could soon be launched against the party by a legal team that includes radical lawyer Michael Mansfield QC after Ms Gordon-Nesbitt’s online funding campaign exceeded £4,000.
She said: “The last thing I want to do is go to court, but we have to make the Labour Party more accountable to its members and this seems to be the only way of doing it.
“I want to stress that this is in no way an attack on the Labour Party leadership. I joined the party to support [Jeremy Corbyn], and I now find myself facing some of the same false allegations that have characterised his leadership.”
