The hard-left UK Labour Party is “beyond doubt” an “institutionally racist” organization, former frontbencher Chuka Umunna claimed on Sunday.
The leading critic of Jeremy Corbyn said it was “very painful” to admit but Labour now met the definition of institutional racism set out in the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry.
Mr Umunna said Labour’s “failure” to deal with its long-running row over anti-Semitism “clearly is a problem” as he said he intended to stay in the party to fight to change it. Watch below:
Labour’s @ChukaUmunna tells @RidgeOnSunday that the party is “institutionally racist” #Ridge pic.twitter.com/tinua9xhFI
— Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) September 9, 2018
Mr. Umunna was then asked on Sky News why he would choose to stay with Labour if it was as racist as he claimed.
He said he wanted to stay “because I want it to change” but he did not categorically rule out leaving to set up a new party, adding: “I don’t want to leave the Labour Party. Who knows what I will be doing when I am 80.”
Dawn Butler, the shadow women and equalities secretary, rejected Mr. Umunna’s claims.
She said: “I have literally spent all of life fighting racism. And today is a sad day @UKLabour is NOT institutionally racist. If it was I would go.”
Mr. Umunna’s attack came on the same day party leader Jeremy Corbyn was called “an anti-Semite and a racist” who is killing Labour by surrounding himself with like-minded followers. That claim was made by former racial equalities chief Trevor Phillips.
Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: Follow @SunSimonKent or e-mail to: skent@breitbart.com
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