The Labour Party is still acting like a pathetic sectarian relic only hours ahead of fraught UK council elections. Starmer supporters see the elections as a key moment in his leadership. Meanwhile, backstabbing Labour MPs are lining up leadership challenges left, right and centre.

Well, actually, mostly from the right.  At least, if we’re talking about Red Tories like Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting. But this story concerns the notionally left-wing Andy Burnham…

Luke Akehurst, the rabidly pro-Israel “extremist” parachuted into a safe seat he had little connection to, has been sniping at Burnham. Burnham isn’t currently an MP, but he is seen as a left-ish challenger to Starmer. That is if he can wrangle a by-election — which isn’t certain.

Akehurst’s contrived beef is that Manchester mayor Burnham is speaking at a conference with social democrats from other parties. This isn’t new. The event was organised by Compass, a group that has been running similar events for over two decades.

The Guardian reported on 6 May:

The event is designed to show how progressives can work across party barriers, something Burnham has long advocated. But its timing, weeks after local elections that are pitting Labour against the Greens in many places, has infuriated many of his colleagues.

Several prominent Lib Dems and other left-leaning talking heads will appear at the conference. Two other Labour MPs are booked to speak – but neither is a potential challenger to Keir Starmer.

Cue Luke Akehurst chipping in, platformed, as ever, by the Guardian AKA the loyal paper of the left-flank of the British establishment.

Labour antisemitism smears like it is 2015

You can guess what attack line a group of hard-right Labour MPs (and the Guardian) reached for… If you guessed ‘weaponised accusations of antisemitism’ you’d be correct.

Akehurst said:

Anyone in the Labour party who has been advancing the concept of a progressive alliance involving the Greens should surely be reconsidering this at the moment given the revelations about the extent of antisemitism amongst their council candidates.

An unnamed Labour MP added:

Activists and candidates around the country are fighting for Labour seats on councils; now is not the time to talk about coalitions. It was bad enough when Andy said he’d work with [Jeremy] Corbyn (and Your Party); now he wants to work with another party riddled with antisemitism? It’s unconscionable.

That’s right, they chose to grubbily wield the current climate of fear and trauma around the recent Golders Green attack — in which three (yes, THREE) people were injured — as a cudgel against political rivals. Even though their main target, Green leader Zack Polanski, is himself Jewish.

Quelle surprise, it’s like 2015 all over again.

The event will take place on 30 May in London. Let’s be completely honest, by that time Starmer’s pathetic stint as PM might be a memory. Let’s hope so. At the very least it would irritate Luke Akehurst and his genocide-backing Labour pals.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

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