The ruling body of the Labor Party has agreed to ban four groups – Socialist Appeal, Labor in Exile Network, Labor Against the Witchhunt and Resist – to an extent that could see at least 1,000 members automatically expelled from the party.

The national executive committee approved the bans document today, after amending it to clarify that decisions made by the currently-established group to consider possible bans from other groups will need to be ratified by the NEC. .

The new panel – called “Star Chamber” by Unite the Union, which has criticized the proposal – will examine details of the banned groups in the future, but the NEC will have to ratify or overturn one of its decisions.

Not all Labor NEC members who are considered to be left of the party voted against the bans today. A core of ten members opposed the ban on LIEN and LATW.

Nine members of the NEC voted against banning Resist, the group led by former Labor MP Chris Williamson who intends to register as a political party. 12 voted against the action against Socialist Appeal.

Member of the NEC and former MP Laura Pidcock published a statement criticizing the ban of the four organizations. He was signed by most of the left-wing NEC members – nine, plus new Unite rep Amy Jackson – but not all.

Reacting to today’s vote, a spokesperson for the Jewish Labor movement said: “We welcome this decision and the strong political signal it sends: membership in these groups is incompatible with the values ​​of Labor. and his willingness to fight anti-Semitism in our party.

Although the NEC meeting took place online today, protests against the bans took place outside Labor Party headquarters, attended by Tony Greenstein and a speech by Covid-19 denier Piers Corbyn.

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