Today, Radio 4, 20 January 2022

Complaint

In a discussion about the defection of Christian Wakeford MP to the Labour Party, the MPΒ  Rachel Reeves said Jeremy Corbyn β€œneeds to apologise for his response to the EHCR (sic) report on the Labour Party which found institutional antisemitism and mistakes made under his leadership”. A listener complained this was misleading, and that the Equality and Human Rights Commission did not reach this finding. The ECU considered the complaint against the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Guidelines on Accuracy.


Outcome

The Executive Summary of the EHRC report stated its investigation had identified β€œserious failings in leadership and an inadequate process for handling antisemitism complaints across the Labour Party”. It concluded there had been β€œa culture within the Party which, at best, did not do enough to prevent antisemitism and, at worst, could be seen to accept it”. Β The complainant sought to distinguish between a finding which sets out the serious failings of an institution, its leadership, culture and processes on antisemitism, and a formal judgement of institutional antisemitism. But in the context of a conversation about a different issue, the ECU concluded there was no prospect listeners would have been materially misled by the remark. Β In the ECU’s view Ms Reeves was giving her own characterisation of the findings and listeners would have understood the distinction between her opinion and a statement of undisputed fact.
Not Upheld