image from twitter / keir_starmer

Senior Labour Party officials repeatedly lied about antisemitism in the ranks of Kensington Labour Party, generating fear in Jewish communities and defaming the party’s local members to neuter democracy in the constituency. Under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer and General Secretary David Evans, unelected bureaucrats have been afforded dictatorial powers to subvert party rules, supplant local candidates and silence members. In Kensington, they have been ruthlessly effective.

In late 2022 we reported on senior Labour Party officials’ interventions in the democratic processes of Kensington Constituency Labour Party (CLP) to prevent local councillors from gaining the nomination to become the party’s candidate to challenge Conservative MP Felicity Buchan at the next general election. The National Executive Committee (NEC) and Greater London Region Labour Party both made interventions to ensure a candidate more aligned with the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer prevailed.

General Secretary David Evans, image from twitter / labtowin

NEC blocked Cllr Emma Dent Coad

In October, the NEC unilaterally removed Emma Dent Coad, the constituency’s only ever Labour MP, from the longlist of candidates. As part of a purge by Starmer’s leadership team of left-wing politicians and members, the NEC summoned Dent Coad to a “due diligence” interview. The three-person interview panel was chaired by a prominent NEC member who alone had the power to decide that Dent Coad should be excluded from the longlist for “bad judgement.” The former MP said that she had effectively been accused of “thoughtcrime”. Read full details and our interview with Emma Dent Coad here.   

London Region took out Cllr Kasim Ali

In November, Councillor Kasim Ali led the CLP’s longlist branch votes when London Region suddenly intervened to prevent him from securing his place on the shortlist. The previous month, Pearleen Sangha, Director of London Region Labour Party, had accused two selection committee members of openly supporting a candidate. Sangha used the accusation as a pretext to take personal control of every aspect of the CLP’s selection process.

Ali had won the first of the three branch selection votes, requiring just one more branch victory to secure his place on the shortlist. This was when Sangha took over the remaining two branch meetings and votes.

Circumstantial evidence suggests that London Region’s move against Ali was pre-planned. First, Sangha postponed the North West branch (his home branch) vote, creating time for the concoction of a means to sabotage Kasim Ali. On the day of the North West vote, a dubious-looking email was circulated to CLP members attacking another candidate as a supporter of Israel. The email was immediately picked up by a local blog and Jewish News, with both publications using it to attack Ali and his supporters as antisemites, despite there being no evidence of a connection between them and the email.

This was the pretext Sangha needed. With no checks and balances against her, the Regional Director blocked whomever she decided not to admit to the Zoom meetings, including up to 20 British Somali members at the North West Kensington Branch meeting. Sangha then kept the nomination results secret and declared the winners without reference to the members’ votes, keeping Kasim Ali off the shortlist.

image from linkedin / pearleensangha

Sangha’s Lies

On the day of the North West vote, following the antisemitism smear against Ali and the local membership, Sangha emailed CLP members regarding her “serious concerns” over apparent antisemitism in Kensington Labour Party. She stated that members had been suspended and that there would be a “serious investigation” into the antisemitism that had forced her to take over of the process.

In December we contacted Sangha to ask about her role. A press officer replied to confirm Labour “had to” commence a “serious investigation” into antisemitism in Kensington CLP and that local members had been suspended “due to antisemitism”.

Multiple sources have told to us that, to date, no party members in Kensington have been for suspected antisemitism. These sources include people with access to the members’ database.

Our sources also confirm that there has been no investigation of any type, let alone a “serious investigation” into antisemitism. Many Kensington Labour members have also separately stated to us that they have heard no gossip or news about suspensions or investigations.

Nothing to add

We contacted London Region, asking how many Kensington members had been suspended and if there had been an investigation into antisemitism. A press officer replied that he had “nothing further to add” to the claims made against the CLP membership.

We understand that members have not yet raised any concerns at Kensington CLP meetings regarding the conduct of the NEC; the lies of London Region officials; the treatment of local Jewish communities; the disenfranchisement of a score of British Somalis; the subversion of local democratic procedures and the character assassinations of elected local politicians by unelected officials.

By Tom Charles

@tomhcharles