Labour grassroots group Defend the Left calls on members to ‘resist bans and proscriptions’

DEFEND the Left called on Labour grassroots members to resist an alleged purge of socialists from the party in an open letter published today.

The campaign group said that members could no longer just “keep their heads down” after thousands stand to be expelled from Labour due to their involvement with four left groups banned at the request of party leader Sir Keir Starmer last month.

A Defend the Left statement said: “We need to resist these bans and proscriptions, not only out of solidarity with those already banned, but also because the more Starmer gets away with, the weaker we all are.”

The group warned that Jewish Voice for Labour, Momentum, and the Labour Representation Committee could be targeted next.

It called on members to lobby MPs, unions and delegates ahead of next month’s party conference, and for those with leading roles on Labour’s left to continue to speak out against the purge.

A Labour spokesperson claimed that the party is a “broad, welcoming and democratic party,” adding “the [national executive committee] has decided that these organisations are not compatible with Labour’s aims and values.”