THE Labour Party was criticised yesterday after a motion of no confidence in leader Sir Keir Starmer was branded anti-semitic.

Bolton North East CLP put forward the motion saying Sir Keir had failed to keep his election promise of bringing unity to the party following Labour’s defeat at the 2019 general election.

Many members also believed the “terribly destructive behaviour” shown towards previous Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn by large sections of the PLP and party bureaucracy would be at an end, the motion said. 

But the motion said that since the leadership election, “there has been no indication of a will among the leadership to forge a meaningful unity among the membership.”

It cited the general secretary placing an embargo on what branches and CLPs could discuss in meetings and Sir Keir’s refusal to readmit Mr Corbyn’s membership as examples.

The motion read: “It is also evident in the apparent retreat from the hugely popular, transformational policies that remain an absolute requirement for meeting the challenge of climate change and tackling the appalling social inequality, the legacy of decades of rampant deregulation, government cuts and unrelenting attacks on organised labour.”

Labour responded by ruling the motion out of order for “providing a flagship for the expression of views that undermine the Labour Party’s ability to provide a safe and welcoming space for all members, in particular our Jewish members.”

The party said it “will not hesitate to take appropriate action where our rules and guidance are not adhered to, or standards of behaviour fall below that which we expect.”

A source close to the branch, who wanted to remain anonymous over fears of disciplinary action, told the Star: “Over the past few months we’ve seen a concerted effort by the right-wing party machinery to disrupt party democracy. 

“Members and activists who have spent a lifetime campaigning for Labour have found themselves suspended from the party on trumped-up charges. 

“Anti-semitism should rightly be rooted out whatever it is found, there is no doubt about that, but to weaponise it to stymie any criticism of the leader is an insult.”