“It has been a privilege to serve on the Labour Party National Executive Committee for the last 19 years, and I was standing down in September in any event. I have, however, decided to resign with immediate effect.
“It is clear that my continued membership of the NEC has become a distraction for the Party and an excuse for endless intrusive media harassment of myself, my family and friends.”
Bye…
UPDATE: Eddie Izzard set to take her place…
No contrition from Christine Shawcroft in her statement this morning, she says the whole anti-Semitism row has been trumped up to attack Corbyn:
“Hi everyone, in case anyone has been misled by the Press coverage, I am not a Holocaust denier and I would not support a Holocaust denier. I have been trying to support members who have been affected by all the shenanigans around Council selections, and thought this case was just another one of those. I had not seen the appalling and abhorrent post which was shared, and if I had seen it I would not have sent the supportive email. As soon as I saw it I told the member that he should have antisemitism training. It is entirely right that having made the initial mistake, I should resign as Chair of the Disputes Panel (which never meant I had to power to overturn suspensions anyway).This whole row is being stirred up to attack Jeremy, as we all know. That someone who has spent his whole life fighting racism in all its forms should find himself being accused of not doing enough to counter it, absolutely beggars belief.”
Shawcroft still sits on Labour’s NEC and disputes panel and is unapologetic. Test for Corbyn’s promise of zero tolerance…
Christine Shawcroft’s resignation after she defended a council candidate who posted a Holocaust denial article online heightens the anti-Semitism crisis engulfing Jeremy Corbyn. Shawcroft and Corbyn are key allies who go back decades. Long before holding high office under Jezza, former PPC Shawcroft worked closely with Corbyn during his wilderness years in groups like CND, Labour Against the War, CLPD and Labour Briefing. She became close to McDonnell – who this morning refused to say she should quit the NEC – through his hard left Labour Representation Committee. Even by Corbynista standards she is known as a hardliner with a fiercely combative style, firing off sweary text messages to lesser commissars. She became a co-founder and director of Momentum alongside Jon Lansman; her name is figuratively on Momentum’s door as one of only a handful of trusted activists to hold a legal company director position there. She played a crucial behind the scenes role in selecting Corbynista candidates. It’ll take more than a last minute resignation to distance her from Corbyn, who has known her instincts and judgement well for many years…
Corbynistas thought Shawcroft was the perfect personality to enforce party discipline so they crowbarred her into position as NEC disputes sub-committee chair in January. Moderates warned at the time that the body, responsible for dealing with allegations of anti-Semitism, would have no credibility on the issue – her appointment was welcomed by groups such as Labour Against The Witch Hunt. Almost immediately Shawcroft hit controversy for conflicts of interest and clearing hard left activists accused of anti-Semitism. In her first meeting in the chair three anti-Semitism cases were considered: two were let off with a warning. Other cases were delayed. Now Corbynistas need to find a new disputes chief with a clean record on anti-Semitism, good luck with that vetting…
This morning Shawcroft remains on the NEC where she is a key Corbynista influencer. Unless she is removed Corbynistas are allowing someone who has defended a Holocaust denial disciplinary case to headline for them on the party’s most powerful body. Progress, LFI and moderates are calling for her to go. Corbynistas want her to stay until June when her seat is up for election. How can Corbyn be credibly seen to ‘stamp out anti-Semitism’ if Shawcroft remains in post?
A huge development breaking in the Labour anti-Semitism scandal tonight: Momentum’s Christine Shawcroft has resigned as head of the party’s disputes panel (after just weeks in post) over her defence of an activist who posted a Holocaust denial article on social media. As the Daily Mail reports, top Corbynista Shawcroft sent an email on Sunday in support of Labour council candidate Alan Bull, who posted this on Facebook:
Shawcroft said in a statement:
“I sent this email before being aware of the full information about this case and I had not been shown the image of his abhorrent Facebook post. Had I seen this image, I would not have requested that the decision to suspend him be re-considered. I am deeply sorry for having done so.
”This week we have seen a clear expression of the pain and hurt that has been caused to Jewish members of our party and the wider Jewish community by anti-Semitic abuse and language, and by the reality of antisemitism being denied and downplayed by others.
“In light of this, I have decided to stand down as Chair of the Disputes Panel to ensure my wrong and misguided questions on this case do not cause doubt or anxiety about our processes. We must eliminate antisemitism from our Party and wider society. To do this we must make sure our process are as robust as possible and have the faith and confidence of our members.”
Shawcroft ousted Ann Black as disputes panel chair in January. She is still on the NEC. Shawcroft is a key ally of Jezza, this revelation will heap even more pressure on Corbyn…
Momentum’s Christine Shawcroft is the subject of much micky-tacking from Labour Blairites this morning after telling the Today programme she considers herself a moderate. To be fair to Christine, it’s true that she is on the moderate wing of Momentum. She only wants Lutfur Rahman to control Tower Hamlets and thinks British soldiers should invite ISIS fighters round for tea. That snap election looks more tempting with every Corbynista broadcast interview…
The latest from Momentum: Jon Lansman has resigned as director of Momentum Campaign Services Ltd. He is certainly under pressure, last night he lost a vote on his purge of Trotskyists in his own local Momentum branch. Notable that he also dissolved New Hope for Labour Ltd, his data company, before Christmas. Labour sources doubt Lansman is taking a step back given he has waited 30 years to get to this position. His opponents claim he is freeing himself up to run for election to the new Momentum steering group. As one puts it, “About as meaningful as when Putin swapped the president’s role with the prime minister so he could stay in power.”
Lansman’s replacement as director of Momentum Campaign Services Ltd is his ally Christine Shawcroft, a mad lefty who was suspended by Labour for backing Lutfur Rahman and famously said British soldiers should invite ISIS round for cups of tea. Shawcroft is one of the four members of Labour’s selection panel for the Copeland by-election. The new head of Momentum will have a major say in their by-election candidate…
