Wallasey MP Angela Eagle has condemned a meeting being held in her constituency this evening as ‘bullying and intimidation.”
Her comments come as members of Wallasey Constituency Labour Party (CLP) were invited to attend a meeting tonight about the background to the local party’s suspension.
The public meeting at Wallasey town hall at 7pm tonight has been organised by Wirral TUC.
They invited Labour members and supporters to attend saying it was their “chance to find out what is really going on in Wallasey Labour party ” and to have their say.
It follows the suspension of the party amid allegations of threats and homophobic comments – which are strongly denied by local members opposed to Ms Eagle.
Ahead of the meeting Ms Eagle said: “The 17 whistleblowers who wrote to the Labour Party with eye-witness testimony of homophobic language and actions, threats of violence and other behaviour unbecoming of Labour members did so because they want the same as we all should – for the Labour Party to be a safe welcoming campaigning environment, free of bigotry and bullying.
“That is why I am so saddened and disappointed that Labour Party constituency officers are seeking to challenge in public the private testimony of whistleblowers.
“If this was happening in a workplace, the unions - for which I worked for many years - Jeremy, myself, the whole Labour movement would be aghast. Whistleblowers have rights to anonymity and for their evidence to be considered in private as part of due process.
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“The Union and Labour movement would be quick to label the tactics on display as bullying and intimidation and seek to protect those brave whistleblowers. Indeed we have done so many times together over the years.
“Jeremy keeps telling us that he is standing for a kinder, gentler politics, but that is rendered meaningless when he fails to protect people who have witnessed bigotry and intimidation from having their anonymous testimony challenged in public.
“For weeks now, Jeremy has sat back silently as this has gone on. This is precisely the kind of behaviour that has led to the Labour Party finding itself in crisis.
“It has tarnished both the Party’s reputation but most of all his own. It’s time for him to now to rein in those that have gone too far and for him to try to become part of the solution to our problems, not a cause.
Angela Eagle
“It is not too late to save the Labour Party, but every day that his indifference continues, it makes it harder for us to come together as a strong, united Labour Party capable of taking on and beating this awful Tory government and healing our nation.”
Mr Corbyn’s leadership campaign has been contacted for a comment.
Paul Davies, one of the members of the suspended CLP said: “I don’t recognise this as bullying or intimidation and those making the accusations have been invited to attend, including Angela Eagle who was invited or to send a representative.”