ANOTHER day, another Labour scandal – with Wirral Councillor Jo Bird being expelled following a two-month-long investigation into her conduct.
Cllr Bird received notice from the national party in September, informing her that she may face ‘auto expulsion’ over her connection with ‘Labour Against The Witchhunt’ – a growing campaign group accused of downplaying antisemitism within the party.
In a series of speeches at one of the proscribed group’s meetings, Bird gave her support to members who had been expelled, before writing that claims of antisemitism were taken more seriously by Labour than other forms of racism.
Bird also appeared to compare herself and similar activists to the victims of the Holocaust, rewriting a famous poem about Nazi persecution to say, “They came for the anti-zionists, and I stood up because I was not a target, I stood up in solidarity. And then they came for the socialists but they couldn’t get us because we were having a party, the Labour Party.”
Bird later apologised over her characterisation of the party’s inquiry process, saying, “I am sorry for any offence caused by my play on words. That was not my intention.”
Attacking the expulsion of activist Marc Wadsworth, however, Bird shockingly wrote that “due process” should be known as “Jew process” – a comment that led to her initial investigation.
Under Keir Starmer, the Labour Party is desperately trying to improve its image following the EHRC’s damning report on their widespread bigotry and racism.
To help achieve this, the affiliation of members with numerous groups has been banned.
Alongside LATW, those other groups affected include the Labour In Exile Network (LIEN), and Resist, founded by ex MP Chris Williamson.
A fourth group, the militant ‘Socialist Appeal’ were proscribed for their support for Marxism and ‘extreme’ ideologies.
The Labour Party has issued a series of notifications threatening auto expulsion, including to Leah Levane, co-chair of JVL (Jewish Voice for Labour), over her involvement with the LEIN group.
Today, Cllr Bird was informed that Labour had indeed decided to permanently expel her from the party.
Taking to Twitter, Bird branded her former party as ‘racist’, saying:
Jo Bird will now sit as an independent on Wirral council – one of an ever-growing number of disgraced former Labour politicians from across the country to do so this year.
