Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Mr. Forde said he was ‘irritated’ by Labour’s implication that he lacks professionalism (Getty/Al Jazeera
June 19, 2024 Story by: Editor
The Labour Party tried to silence Martin Forde KC, a prominent Black barrister, after he authored a report revealing a “hierarchy of racism” within the party, as revealed by The Independent. In a letter sent by Labour’s lawyers, Forde was warned he was “acting against the party’s interest” after he highlighted Labour’s failures in an interview.
Mr. Forde expressed his frustration to The Independent, stating, “They can’t silence me.” The Forde report, published in July 2022, described Labour as an “unwelcoming place for people of colour” and criticized its “toxic” culture of factional disputes.
In a March 2023 interview with Al Jazeera, Forde noted that Labour had not engaged with his report’s recommendations and raised concerns about racism within the party. Labour responded with a legal letter, seen by The Independent, accusing Forde of making “negative and highly prejudicial comments” and suggesting they were “considering all of its options.”
Forde found the letter “irritating” and said, “I fundamentally object to people saying to me, ‘You don’t know how to behave as a professional.’ I’m afraid that Black professionals get it all the time.”
The Forde report made 165 recommendations, including blind CVs in recruitment and changes to the complaints procedure, most of which Labour claims to have implemented. However, in his Al Jazeera interview, Forde criticized Labour’s antisemitism training and highlighted that many Black and Asian politicians felt they were unfairly disciplined to exclude them from selection processes.
Upon receiving the legal complaint, Forde dismissed the accusations as “baseless” through his lawyers and did not hear further from Labour on the matter. He suspected Labour might report him to his regulatory body, expressing surprise at the tone and content of their correspondence.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has recently faced accusations of purging the Labour left, following disputes over veteran MP Diane Abbott and Chingford and Woodford Green candidate Faiza Shaheen. Shaheen was dropped as a candidate over social media activity, while Abbott faced potential barring from standing for Labour after controversial comments. It has now been confirmed that she can stand as a Labour candidate.
Forde believes that the legal threat from Labour could be seen as a “collateral attack on a Black professional.” Mish Rahman, a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC), expressed disappointment at Labour’s actions, stating, “This legal threat…is consistent with the behaviour of Starmer’s Labour Party, which is intent on cracking down on any dissent or criticism rather than the actual perpetrators of racism.”
Rahman also criticized Labour’s handling of the Forde report and the treatment of those who expose racism. He claimed Labour’s leadership suppressed the report and prevented Forde from meeting the NEC.
“Under Keir’s leadership, the party operates a hierarchy of racism,” Rahman said, accusing Labour of not taking anti-Black racism and Islamophobia seriously while punishing those who highlight these issues.
A Labour Party spokesperson responded, “The Labour Party is fully committed to tackling racist and discriminatory attitudes wherever they arise…We are proud the party has completed work on the recommendations made by Martin Forde, and want to place on record, once again, our thanks to Martin for his hard work.”
Labour also highlighted new measures, including an independent complaints process, a code of conduct on Afrophobia, anti-Black racism, and Islamophobia, and mandatory training for staff. “We are delighted that Labour has more Black candidates, and Black male candidates in particular, than ever before,” the spokesperson added. Source: Independent
