LABOUR members filed High Court action against the party this week over investigations into their alleged conduct taking place under a system that it admitted was “unfair”.

The group of seven, four of whom are Jewish, said Labour had accepted the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report on the party’s handling of anti-semitism complaints and that its disciplinary process was “not fit for purpose.”

However the members said that they were investigated over anti-semitism claims under the very process that Labour said it would replace. 

The group, Labour Activists For Justice (LA4J), said it had been “unjustly accused of undermining the party’s ability to campaign against racism, have been working for six months to persuade the party to improve its disciplinary process for the benefit of all members, but have been rejected at every approach.”

Labour had told LA4J that the EHRC “report did not apply to [it]” and that it “would continue to use the same disciplinary processes.”

LA4J is also disputing the party’s “lack of clear guidelines on how anti-semitism cases are judged,” withholding identities of accusers “without good reason,” a “lack of fair process” for the accused, and “a failure to provide adequate reasons for the decisions made.”

Diana Neslen, an Orthodox Jew, said: “If any employer tried to impose the party’s process on their employees today, the labour movement and the unions would be up in arms. It is a disgrace that needs to be fixed.

“The idea that the EHRC report does not apply to us is the last straw. A legal challenge is not a road we want to go down, but they have left us no choice.”

The other members are Jonathan Rosenhead, Michael Ellman, Mike Howard, John Davies, Colin O Driscoll and Chris Wallis.

All seven reject the charges that they said were based on a version of an anti-semitism code of conduct that Labour will not publish.

The Morning Star approached Labour for comment.

A Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL) spokesperson told the Star that the accusations of anti-semitism were mainly over criticising Israel, and that they have “clouded over injustices of the process that cause suffering for Jews and non-Jews.”

The confidentiality clause, anonymous accusers and secret code of conduct have contributed to the accused feeling isolated and without context for the allegations, they added.

LA4J has launched a crowdfunding appeal for legal fees: bit.ly/3m8IXd4