According to figures released by Jennie Formby in February 2019, Labour received 673 complaints alleging antisemitism between April 2018 and January 2019. According to a spokesperson for the party this represents just 0.1% of the party. This 0.1% figure has taken on a life of its own and become a tool used to dismiss the nature of antisemitism in the party.

Amongst these figures there is a great deal of controversy… just 12 were expelled….the lack of clarity over the actions taken against others who were sent for antisemitism training or suspended…. Dame Margaret Hodge expressed her disbelief at the figures, pointing out that she herself had submitted over 200 complaints….. the figures also do not match the 15,000 submitted to the EHRC by Labour Against Antisemitism.

What is definite though is that these figures relate solely to a ten month period, while the problem with antisemitism in Labour has been present for much longer than ten months. 

Labour has been extremely ungenerous when sharing information on its actions over antisemitism in the party.

So the 0.1% figure is misleading to begin with. And the fact that 0.1% of the party has been the subject of antisemitism allegations during a certain period does not mean that the other 99.9% are not antisemitic (nor that they necessarily are either!)

The attempt to dismiss the level of antisemitism in the Labour party by suggesting that there is a fringe minority of racists in the party is belied by the excess of antisemitism allegations against Labour MPs, Councillors and activists.