Labour has demanded that the BBC remove its Panoramadocumentary about antisemitism in the party from iPlayer.
A spokesman said yesterday that the programme should be “removed from BBC iPlayer until basic facts are corrected, full and unedited quotes are used and an apology is issued”. According to Labour’s analysis of the hour-long programme its own position was on screen for five minutes, he added.
The BBC has strongly defended its programme and the reporter, John Ware.
Twenty-eight MPs have demanded that Jeremy Corbyn set up an independent investigation into accusations that the Labour high command interfered with antisemitism allegations.
The Tribune group of Labour MPs, mostly on the mainstream “soft left” of the party, said that they were shocked by claims made in last Wednesday’s Panorama “about the handling of antisemitism complaints and how individual employees have been treated”.
They added: “We support former employees in speaking out and commend their bravery in doing so.” The group includes Yvette Cooper, the former cabinet minister, Dan Jarvis, mayor of Sheffield City Region, Owen Smith, former leadership candidate, and four serving members of Mr Corbyn’s front bench.
“We do not accept that the thrust of these latest disclosures by hardworking staff members was motivated by anything other than genuine distress and concern . . . We are overdue the time for taking the kind of action which has any chance of restoring confidence in our values and processes.”
They called on the party’s ruling national executive committee to “immediately establish an independent investigation into the allegations of interference in the party’s disciplinary procedures [and] an independent complaints procedure with representation from the Jewish community which is totally independent from the leadership of the Labour Party”.
