Former party leader allegedly blocked candidate for links to leftist Momentum movement which he claimed was connected to anti-Semitism
RHEA WOLFSON, a leftwing candidate for Scottish Labour allegedly blocked from gaining the support of her Constituency Labour Party (CLP) for election to the party’s National Executive Committee by former party leader Jim Murphy, has gained nomination at her new CLP.
In a statement the leftwing activist said she lost a vote for nomination at her East Renfrewshire CLP after Murphy, who had formerly represented the constituency as an MP, claimed that the Momentum faction of which she is a member was connected to anti-Semitism, and the Wolfson should therefore not be nominated.
The development caused uproar among party activists, as Wolfson is Jewish herself and had a history of campaigning against anti-Semitism and other forms of racism.
Wolfson changed her local party and has now been nominated to take part in elections for the party’s leading body by Almond Valley CLP.
In a public statement following her nomination she said: “Thank you so much to my home Constituency Labour Party, Almond Valley, for unanimously nominating me for election to the Labour Party National Executive Committee. I now have the nominations needed to go onto the ballot.”
The controversy represented the spreading of an internal Labour row over allegations of anti-Semitism, during which time numerous Labour figures including MPs, councillors and leading figures of the party left such as former Mayor of London Ken Livingston were accused of making anti-Semitic statements.
Wolfson is a leading activist on the left of the party in Scotland, is a branch secretary for the GMB union and the Women’s Officer for Scottish Young Labour. She was formerly an organiser for London Young Labour’s election campaign.
Murphy was contacted to respond to the developments, but did not respond by time of publication.
Picture courtesy of Scottish Labour
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