Margaret Hodge reveals electoral protest against Jeremy Corbyn in memoir
A Labour grandee has revealed she spoiled her ballot paper in the 2019 general election to call then party leader Jeremy Corbyn an antisemite, reports BritPanorama.
Margaret Hodge, the former minister who was Labour’s MP for Barking for three decades, stated that it was only in the polling booth that she realised she could not vote for Corbyn. “I spoilt my ballot paper and scrawled ‘antisemite’ all over it,” she writes in her new memoir Battleaxe.
The 82-year-old, now sitting in the House of Lords, has been an outspoken critic of Corbyn, accusing him of being in “permanent denial” about antisemitism within the party. She recalled, “Election day, 12 December 2019, was gruesome,” describing her decision to vote in person given her opposition to Corbyn.
“As I walked into the polling station, I still could not make up my mind. Standing with pencil in my hand in the booth I realised that I just couldn’t vote for him, so I spoilt my ballot paper and scrawled ‘antisemite’ all over it.” Corbyn has consistently denied charges of antisemitism, maintaining that he was “always determined to eliminate all forms of racism.”
Dame Margaret also shared her determination to prevent Corbyn from becoming prime minister, stating, “I had my own red lines. I promised myself that should the unthinkable become a reality – if Corbyn won the general election – I would use my position as an MP to do everything I could to stop him becoming prime minister.”
She recounted having known Corbyn since 1983 when he first became the MP for Islington North, while she was the leader of Islington Council. Initially, she described him as “a rather harmless, disorganised nonentity who seemed to care more about what was happening in Nicaragua than he did about what was happening in Islington.”
Amidst public scrutiny, Hodge reflected on a moment in which she confronted Corbyn in the House of Commons. Contrary to reports that she had called him a “f****** antisemite,” she clarified that she aimed to express her views without resorting to swearing.
In July 2018, she described the context for her confrontation: “I said that I thought he was an antisemitic racist. I said that he was creating a hostile environment for Jews in the Labour Party.”
A spokesperson for Corbyn responded, stating, “Jeremy’s leadership transformed the Labour Party into a mass movement that confronted economic injustice, opposed all forms of racism and stood up for peace around the world.” They expressed regret that Hodge chose to engage in “baseless smears and personal abuse instead,” insisting that the accusations against him were false and that he would continue to advocate for equality as the proud MP for Islington North.
As the conversation around antisemitism in the Labour Party continues, Hodge’s revelations add another layer to the ongoing discourse on leadership and accountability within political institutions.
