The video explores the recent actions of Keir Starmer, leader of the UK Labour Party, in addressing accusations of anti-Semitism within the party. It highlights the political tension that arose after the sacking of Rebecca Long Bailey from the shadow cabinet, following her endorsement of an article containing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. The narrative delves into the internal Labour disputes and reactions from various party members and supporters, as well as comments on Starmer’s leadership.

The content examines Keir Starmer's decisiveness and leadership style, portraying him as a figure willing to confront entrenched issues within the party. Sir Keir's decision to remove Long Bailey is seen by some as a necessary stance against anti-Semitism, while others argue the response was disproportionate, potentially causing further division within the party. The video provides perspectives from different party members, including MPs and former Labour figures, discussing the implications of this incident.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. Grotesque [ɡrəʊˈtɛsk] - (adjective) - Comically or repulsively ugly or distorted. - Synonyms: (bizarre, monstrous, peculiar)

And you end in the grotesque chaos of a Labour council.

2. redundancy notices [rɪˈdʌndənsi ˈnoʊtɪsɪz] - (noun) - Formal notifications that employees are to lose their jobs because their positions are no longer necessary. - Synonyms: (dismissal, layoff, termination)

A Labour council hiring taxis to scuttle around a city, handing out redundancy notices to its own workers.

3. decisive [dɪˈsaɪsɪv] - (adjective) - Having the power or quality of deciding; showing determination. - Synonyms: (resolute, conclusive, definitive)

But then decisive action.

4. antisemitism [ˌæntiˈsɛmɪˌtɪzəm] - (noun) - Hostility or prejudice against Jewish people. - Synonyms: (prejudice, discrimination, racism)

I've made it my first priority to tackle antisemitism and rebuilding trust with the jewish community is a number one priority for me.

5. sedition [sɪˈdeɪt] - (adjective) - Calm, dignified, and unhurried. - Synonyms: (composed, serene, tranquil)

A sedate start to the day for Keir Starmer with his first actual visit as Labour leader.

6. eradicate [ɪˈrædɪˌkeɪt] - (verb) - To destroy completely or put an end to. - Synonyms: (eliminate, exterminate, obliterate)

He has vowed to eradicate anti semitism from the Labour party and today he's shown that he won't accept anti semitism in any form in the party's culture.

7. emblematic [ˌɛmbləˈmætɪk] - (adjective) - Serving as a symbol of a particular quality or concept. - Synonyms: (symbolic, representative, suggestive)

The sacking of Rebecca long Bailey could be a seminal moment for Keir Starmer as he confronts the left on one of the emblematic issues of the Jeremy Corbyn era.

8. reconciliation [ˌrɛkənˌsɪliˈeɪʃən] - (noun) - The restoration of friendly relations. - Synonyms: (reunion, settlement, resolution)

I want to see unity. But that unity must be without any anti semitism being acceptable in the party.

9. clarification [ˌklærɪfɪˈkeɪʃən] - (noun) - The action of making something clearer or more understandable. - Synonyms: (explanation, elucidation, illumination)

The MP said she was supporting peakes criticism of the governments handling of coronavirus and she had agreed a clarification with Starmers office.

10. sowing discord [ˈsoʊɪŋ ˈdɪskɔrd] - (verb phrase) - To cause disagreement or arguments among people. - Synonyms: (fomenting disagreement, causing division, instigating conflict)

He promised unity. It seems like in some quarters he's sowing discord.

Rebecca Long-Bailey sacked for sharing article with anti-Semitic conspiracy theory - BBC Newsnight

And you end in the grotesque chaos of a Labour council. A Labour council hiring taxis to scuttle around a city, handing out redundancy notices to its own workers. This is a modern party living in an age of change. It requires a modern constitution. Leaders who confronted leaders who changed their party. A new dawn has broken, has it not? And finally, a leader who won, Sakir Starmer, showed an unexpected steal when he too confronted the left.

Out went Rebecca Long Bailey for, as he said, sharing an article that contained an anti semitic conspiracy theory. Her sacking was sparked by comments by the actor Maxime Peake, who told the Independent the tactics used by the police in America. Kneeling on George Floyds Neck. That was learnt from seminars with israeli secret services, Rebecca Long Bailey welcomed the interview, tweeting, Maxine Peake is an absolute diamond.

The MP said she was supporting peakes criticism of the governments handling of coronavirus and she had agreed a clarification with Starmers office. But in a sign of a breakdown in relations with her former leadership rival, she tweeted, I had asked to discuss these matters with Keir before agreeing what further action to take. But sadly he had already made his decision. Well, the sharing of that article was wrong and because the article contained anti semitic conspiracy theories and I have therefore stood Rebecca Long Bailey down from the shadow cabinet.

I've made it my first priority to tackle antisemitism and rebuilding trust with the jewish community is a number one priority for me. As the anointed heir of Jeremy Corbyn, Rebecca Long Bailey had carried the torch for the left in the shadow cabinet and the left is rallying behind her. The way that Rebecca Long Bailey has been treated by the leadership is shameful.

I think that what she was accused of doing, I don't think it was a proportionate response by Keir Starmer. I think that it shows that the things that he campaigned on in his election campaign, for example on unity, are actually not ringing true. Now Labour MP's on the left have been holding frantic discussions about how to respond to the sacking. One veteran told me, I'm keeping my counsel. Keir Starmer wants this to be his clause for moment. He wants us to respond, but if we do that, we're just playing into his hands.

That's going to be a busy week or two, isn't it? A sedate start to the day for Keir Starmer with his first actual visit as Labour leader. But then decisive action. The sacking of Rebecca long Bailey could be a seminal moment for Keir Starmer as he confronts the left on one of the emblematic issues of the Jeremy Corbyn era.

One frontbench supporter of the new Labour leader told me that aspiring prime ministers have to be both warriors and teachers. This MP told me they'd feared that until now, Keir Starmer was just a teacher. Turns out he's a warrior, too. Never exactly soulmates. And now driven apart as Keir Starmer moves to change perceptions about Labour.

Now, this row was sparked by those remarks in the independent, by Maxine Peake, about the death in the United States of George Floyd. And tonight she has retracted those particular remark. So she has tweeted, I was inaccurate in my assumption of american police training and its sources. I find racism and antisemitism abhorrent and I in no way wished nor intended to add fodder to any views of the country.

Now, Keir Starmer felt that Maxine Peakes original remarks did amount to spreading an anti semitic conspiracy theory, because essentially his belief was that she was talking about the tactics in the United States and ultimately, and wrongly, linking that to the state of Israel.

Now, it's interesting. Tonight, Rebecca Long Bailey has issued a statement to Pippa Crera from the Daily Mirror saying that actually there's nothing wrong, nothing anti semitic about raising concerns about police tactics. This is what the former shadow education secretary has said. There's valid concern about police practices across the world, and I don't think that worded in the right way, it's racist or anti semitic to draw attention to that.

I completely agree with the need for us to intensively build our relationship with the jewish community and the wider electorate. I can understand the difficulties of Keir's position. And then she says, I'm not going to criticise him because it is important for the Labour party to be united. But there is still a big debate in that party. And on the left, they're working out what to do.

Some Labour front benches on the left are thinking of resigning. One veteran is saying to them, you can resign, but you've got to do it en masse. Nick Wong, thank you.

Joining me now to discuss this issue, Dame Louise Ellman, the longstanding former Labour MP who left the party over what she called Jeremy Corbyn's seeming tolerance of anti semitism. And Matt Rack, general secretary of the Fire brigades union.

If I come to you first, Louise, what do you make of Sir Keir Starmer's decision today? I welcome the decision. It was Keir Starmer showing leadership and demonstrating that he's now more Trump saying that he will deal with poisonous anti semitism in the Labour Party to doing something about it. So I think it's a very welcome step.

Is it a big enough step to get you back to the party? It's a very encouraging step, but I'm waiting to see what more happens and I'm waiting to see what happens when the Equalities and Human rights Commission report arrives and what the reaction to that is. But it's very important to me to see that Keir Starm is willing to act and not just state a good intention. And by today's action, he's shown decisiveness, he's shown that he's a leader, shown that he's not willing to accept a senior front bencher appearing to turn the blind eye or pass on a kind of conspiracy theory which suggests that jewish rocist raiders are responsible for all things that are wrong, that Maxine Peake has already said that her felts were wrong in terms of the sacking of Rebecca Long Bailey.

Some have said it's over, it's an overreaction, it's disproportionate. What would you say to them? Well, Keir Starmer is the leader. He takes decisions. He has vowed to eradicate anti semitism from the Labour party and today he's shown that he won't accept anti semitism in any form in the party's culture. But do you feel then, with that, you're waiting for that report?

Some say we'll be out next month. But do you feel that you're getting your party back? I see very welcome moves and I feel very encouraged, but I'm looking for more. You're looking for more. You're waiting for that report. The reason I ask about getting your party back is because, of course, Keir Starmer, you know, promised. His slogan when he was campaigning to be leader was reform and unite. He promised unity. It seems like in some quarters he's sowing discord.

Well, Keir Stone was very clear that he wants to eradicate anti semitism from the Labour party. And, yes, he wants unity. I want to see unity. But that unity must be without any anti semitism being acceptable in the party.

One of the problems of the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn, and one of the reasons we went down to such a dreadful defeat, was that anti semitism in its various forms became part of the culture of too much of the Labour party, and that's what has to be changed. Is there anything else you're looking for the party, for him in particular, to do? I want to see complaints being addressed in a proper way. But above all, I want a Labour party that just does not tolerate anti semitism, where people who are willing to go along with anti semitism feel that the party is not for them. I don't want a Labour party where anti Semites feel comfortable.

There's a statement we were just reading out from Rebecca Long Bailey this evening to the Mirror for that paper tomorrow. She says there's a valid concern about police practices across the world, and I don't think that worded in the right way, it's racist or anti semitic to draw attention to that. She's talking about that statement which Maxine Peak has withdrawn and gone back on. And also that original tweet is still up there in terms of Rebecca Long Bailey within the party.

Obviously still within the party, but not on the front bench. What do you make of her response? Well, the offending statement was not about police tactics throughout the world. That certainly is a very valid issue. And indeed, the people responsible for the murder, George Floyd, were police officers in the United States. So that's a very valid issue to be outraged about.

The problem was that there was a reference to the killing, the murder of George Floyd, and then an inference that this somehow was the responsibility of israeli forces or the israeli secret Service. That's the part that's a conspiracy theory and that's the part that must be challenged. And Maxim Peake herself has now withdrawn that and said she was wrong.

Yes, she has. And a statement from the relevant force in Israel saying that that wasn't the case and those seminars hadn't been delivered. Let's bring in Matt Rack, general secretary of the fire brigades union. Good evening.

Good evening. Surely when you hear what Louise has just had to say, you too think Sir Keir Starmer has done the right thing today? No, I don't think he's done the right thing. I don't think you've explored the issues behind the article in any great detail. Actually, I agree with Louise on some points of that.

The issue of racism in the United States is something that is built into the history of the United States, is built on the history of slavery, of segregation and so on, and to racism and racist violence in the United States has no need for foreign engagement, for that to encourage. So there are some concerns, but equally, there is a valid concern, which I think is reflected in the statement you just read from Rebecca Long Bailey about how police forces cooperate internationally. And this is something that predates the recent events, where clearly there are discussions between police forces about tactics and indeed Amnesty International has raised issues around.

I'm sorry to interrupt you, but do you know something that Maxine Peak doesn't? Because Maxine Peake has said she was inaccurate of her assumption of american police training. I think what's inaccurate is I've not seen any evidence that the tactic of placing the knee on the neck is. There's clearly no evidence that I've seen that links that to any meetings, dialogue, seminars between us police forces and police or other security forces in Israel. But there have been concerns raised around the militarisation of policing in the United States. And surely that. I think. I think Louise has just said that is a valid area of concern. That is a valid area.

Stick to the debate. Let's just stick to the debate. The issue is that. Matt, seriously define the debate. The debate is around what was in that article. The person who said it has come away from it and said it wasn't true. The israeli forces have said it wasn't true. So no one was making a judge, no one's making a judgement. I've distanced myself from that from the start, actually, if you follow what I've said today, and I'm not endorsing those comments, but there is a validity area of concern around the militarization of policing in the United States, many communities. I'm surprised that you don't think that's a matter of concern, considering the events of the.

Please don't put words in my mouth. At no point have I said that's not a matter of concern. Clearly it is. And therefore the debate. The issue has been. The issue has been around a front bench minister from labor being removed over what has been seen to be an anti semitic point. You haven't explored any great detail.

We have explored whether it was anti semitic. We've just talked about that and we've seen that Maxine peakers withdrawn it. I don't follow your argument, but to move on, if you don't agree with Rebecca Long Bailey being removed, why don't you agree with that? Because you either don't think the article had an anti semitic conspiracy theory or you don't think it matters.

I don't think there has been any due process. I think it is an overreaction. I think this will be seen by many people in the Labour party, both ordinary Labour Party members who fund the Labour party, whose hard earned pounds pay for Labour to run its campaigns, and the trade unions, who also pay a great deal to fund the Labour party, that their views are being ignored. Keir Starmer ran a campaign, he appealed to Corbyn supporters. Indeed, former Corbyn supporters helped to run his campaign and many former Corbyn voters voted for him because he adopted many of the policies of the Corbyn era and he made an appeal for unity.

And I don't think that today this will be seen as an action of somebody who is actually appealing for unity. And to hear endorsements from George Osborne or Tory ministers will not sit well with Labour party members whatsoever. Thank you for your time there. Matt Rack, general secretary of the fire brigades union.

Politics, Leadership, Anti-Semitism, Labour Party, Change, United Kingdom, Bbc Newsnight