Months after the Forde Report was published, Labour STILL hasn’t contacted its author about future steps
Martin Forde KC, the author of a major report on allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, has said there are serious issues of racism but, since it was published in July, nobody in the organisation has contacted him to discuss what should happen next.
Mr Forde told the Express
he has “anxiety” and “genuine underlying concerns” about “racial issues within the party”.
Referring to Sir Keir’s speech last month, in which the Labour leader said the party will “never again be brought to its knees by racism or bigotry”, Mr Forde said: “It is not a sufficient response to say ‘that was then this is now’.”
He added: “These are serious debates that need to be heard in a respectful context. And I just feel this there’s work to be done.”
His words come after he was interviewed by Middle Eastern broadcaster Al-Jazeera for an episode of its Labour Files documentary series, in which he claimed that the BBC Panorama documentary Is Labour Antisemitic had been “objectively entirely misleading”, and that he had been contacted by BBC representatives who wanted him to “amend” his comments on the show.
Here’s how the Al-Jazeera documentary describes what happened:
This man was hand picked by Starmer’s Labour to investigate the Labour leaks.
What Martin Forde KC found when he looked under the car bonnet was not what Sir Keir Starmer KC wanted to hear.
And so it was buried. pic.twitter.com/EH1tFT2lN9
— Tory Fibs (@ToryFibs) March 16, 2023
The documentary also suggests that Labour leader Keir Starmer has reneged on a promise to party members from ethnic minorities, that he would take the findings of the Forde Report seriously:
Another commitment Starmer broke
This was a one he made to BAME staff in the party about how the Forde report won't be a whitewashed. pic.twitter.com/urDwjEKNjw
— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) March 17, 2023
You can watch the whole documentary via the link below:
A new #LabourFiles episode with Martin Forde KC.
Mr Forde reveals:
– he’s heard “almost nothing” from @UKLabour since the publication
– he’s not spoken to @Keir_Starmer
– the Editor of @BBCPanorama wanted him to “alter his report”
– “work to be done”https://t.co/Ffrv6vlIfZ
— James Foster (@JamesEFoster) March 16, 2023
I think I would urge you to do so.
“The truth that Forde dare not admit is that under Starmer the Factionalism his report so excortiates is far worse, and that Party democracy is a more distant prospect than ever.” Jonathan Cook Podcast July 22 2022.