Last week, the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) filed a joint complaint against three patrons of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) – Lord David Pannick KC, Lord Anthony Grabiner KC, and Stephen Hockman KC – alleging that the senior barristers used their professional seniority in a
pattern of legal intimidation … targeting individuals and organisations engaged in Palestine advocacy.
It is an overdue reckoning for UKLFI, who have been slammed for using a strategy of “lawfare” in mounting a series of complaints against teachers, healthcare workers, and even museum staff. However, many have failed to notice the link between the accused patrons and the upper echelons of Keir Starmer’s Labour.
As I have discovered, the family of one of the accused barristers gave thousands to fund the election campaigns of the party’s parliamentary candidates.
The Grabiner Family
Anthony Grabiner KC, a crossbench peer, is one of the three UK Lawyers for Israel patrons reported to the Bar Standards Board for an alleged misuse of their professional status. The Grabiner family have donated thousands of pounds to two senior Labour MPs: Wes Streeting and Sarah Sackman.
The family foundation, which is known as The Blue Thread and was “established with resources gained over the last 30 years through work in the media and private equity industries”, specifically funds organisations in the UK and Israel.
Companies House lists a whopping 75 appointments for Anthony Grabiner’s cousin Stephen, including previous directorships at UK Israel Business, the Jewish Chronicle, and the Telegraph Media Group. In 2023, he personally donated £6000 to the Finchley and Golders Green branch of the Labour Party.
Sarah Sackman
In July 2024, Sarah Sackman was elected as Labour MP for Finchley and Golders Green. Before the election, she received a total of £11,150 from Joseph, Sarah, Miriam, and Stephen Grabiner. Sackman previously worked as a judicial clerk at the Israeli Supreme Court and still travels to the settler state “on a yearly basis”. One month before her election, Sackman declared her opposition to ICC arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, saying:
I trust the Israeli people to hold their leaders to account.
Keir Starmer appointed Sarah Sackman first as Solicitor-General and then as Minister for Courts and Legal Services. Last November, she announced proposals to deprive many of their right to a trial by jury, in order to stop them:
coming into court and laughing in the face of the justices.
Wes Streeting
Wes Streeting, Labour’s ex-Health Minister, received a total of £8920 from Daniel, Joseph, Miriam, and Stephen Grabiner for his 2024 election campaign.
Streeting resigned from the cabinet earlier this month and has made his leadership ambitions clear, although his current polling figures of 4% amongst Labour members leave much to be desired. Under Streeting’s leadership, Labour have been predicted to achieve a derisory five seats at the next general election.
This month, Streeting was forced to disown reports that the disgraced ex-Labour peer Peter Mandelson was privately backing his leadership bid, but in the past, the two enjoyed a cosy relationship. Indeed, the now expelled Labour MP Karl Turner told me in March that the pair were “very close friends”.
Streeting’s recent attempts to distance himself from Jeffrey Epstein’s “best pal” included releasing a selection of their WhatsApp communications, which included the following exchange:
Peter M: Are you planning visit to US this year?
Wes Streeting: Hope so! X
Peter M: Need to plan. Lots of tech companies…to talk to.
After the scandals of the Starmer era, the Labour Party are determined to rebrand, but many of the donors and influencers behind the scenes remain.
Featured image via Oli Scarff/Getty Images
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