On Wednesday afternoon, the Labour Party suffered a major defeat in the High Court by grassroots members who are taking on the Party for alleged breaches of natural justice in the handling of their disciplinary proceedings.
Alma Yaniv and Palestinian journalist Sameh Habeeb, who are both currently suspended from the Party, won their application to be joined to a group of six existing claimants who already filed a claim against Labour in the High Court last December.
The full group of eight claimants are being jointly supported by Labour Activists for Justice and the Left Legal Fighting Fund. The Fighting Fund – which supports activists, protesters and whistleblowers – was established by former Labour MP Chris Williamson through the costs he won at the High Court in 2019, after the judge determined that he had been unlawfully suspended.
The Fighting Fund was initially supporting the joinder of five additional claimants. However, after their cases were left unresolved for lengthy periods of time, the Party exonerated three of them at the eleventh-hour last week with no case to answer. That meant that their three cases no longer needed to be considered in court.
The Party had sought to deny Ms Yaniv and Mr Habeeb from joining the other six claimants. However, Master Lisa Sullivan of the High Court’s Queen’s Bench Division said that would cause ‘a duplication of costs and a duplication of decision’ and that it was ‘desirable’ for all the claimants ‘to be heard together’.
Labour’s legal team had also asked the judge to grant the Party a preliminary issue trial in order to determine whether the court was even entitled to intervene in the Party’s disciplinary proceedings. Master Sullivan refused the Party’s application, as it would have driven up costs and caused unwarranted delays.
After the Party suffered a double defeat, the judge awarded the claimants their costs. In just two weeks, the Party has incurred costs of over £75,000 in respect of their own lawyers, as well as the costs of the claimants for this hearing. The full hearing will now be listed to take place after 8 June 2021.
This case comes at a time when the Labour Party under Keir Starmer’s leadership has reportedly faced significant financial difficulties as a result of dwindling membership numbers and having to fend off a range of other legal actions.
When speaking about his victory at the High Court, journalist Sameh Habeeb said:
“I joined the Labour Party after I came to the UK as a refugee from Gaza. I thought it shared my values, but the Party has let me down. I’ve been suspended for over two years and have been gagged from responding to constant attacks on my character.
“I never wanted to take my own Party to court, but there was no other way to get justice. This legal action has the potential to set a new legal precedent about how Labour treats its members, which would prevent others in my position from being subjected to this gross unfairness.”
Alma Yaniv added:
“The Labour Party suspended me nearly two years ago. Since then, I’ve been left in limbo, unable to properly respond to the allegations that have been levelled against me.
“Rather than resolving our cases as quickly as possible, it seems to me that the Party is simply trying to cause more unnecessary delays. Labour has treated pro-Palestine members with contempt. At last, with this court process, we have a chance of achieving justice.”
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