Chris Williamson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Deputy Leader of theWorkers Party of Britain | |
| Assumed office 13 December 2023 Serving with Andy Hudd andPeter Ford | |
| Leader | George Galloway |
| Preceded by | Joti Brar |
| Shadow Minister for Fire and Emergency Services | |
| In office 3 July 2017 – 11 January 2018 | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Karen Lee |
| Member of Parliament forDerby North | |
| In office 8 June 2017 – 6 November 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Amanda Solloway |
| Succeeded by | Amanda Solloway |
| In office 6 May 2010 – 30 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Laxton |
| Succeeded by | Amanda Solloway |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christopher Williamson (1956-09-16)16 September 1956 (age 69)[1] Derby, Derbyshire, England |
| Party | Workers Party of Britain (since 2023)[2] |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Spouse | |
| Domestic partner | Maggie Amsbury[3] |
| Alma mater | Leicester Polytechnic |
Christopher Williamson (born 16 September 1956) is a British politician who was theMember of Parliament (MP) forDerby North from2010 to2015[4] and again from2017[5] to2019.[6] He wasShadow Minister for Communities and Local Government from October 2010 to October 2013.[5] Williamson was previously a local councillor inDerby, representing theNormanton ward from 1991 until 2011[7] and serving twice as leader ofDerby City Council.
In February 2019, Williamson was notified of a formal investigation and later suspended from theLabour Party for his comments about the party's response to criticism over its handling of allegations ofantisemitism within the party.[8] After an investigation, Williamson was reinstated in June 2019 with a formal warning[9] but was resuspended two days later when the party decided to review the disciplinary decision.[10] In October 2019, Williamson won aHigh Court challenge to the legality of the review of the disciplinary decision[11] but similar charges had been made on 3 September 2019, involving a further suspension; the High Court ruled the Labour Party's disciplinary procedure with regard to these charges should run its course. In November that year,Labour's National Executive Committee blocked Williamson from standing as a Labour candidate in the 2019 general election.[12] He resigned from the Labour Party and stood as an Independent, losing the seat and his deposit.[13]
Williamson currently hosts the programmePalestine Declassified on the Iranian government-owned TV channelPressTV. He has been a Deputy Leader of theWorkers Party of Britain since December 2023.[14] He stood for the party in theDerby South constituency in the2024 general election,[15] finishing third.
Born inDerby, Williamson attended the St. John Fisher Primary School inAlvaston,Castle Donington High School and St. Thomas More High School inAllenton. After working as a craft apprentice for a year from 1972, Williamson then worked as abricklayer for six years. He continued his education at Leicester Polytechnic (nowDe Montfort University), where he obtained aprofessional social work qualification (a CQSW) in 1985.[citation needed] He was asocial worker in Derby from 1983 to 1986 before working as a welfare rights officer.
Williamson joined theLabour Party in 1976. He became a councillor on Derby City Council in 1991. Appointed Chair of Housing, he supportedprivate finance initiative (PFI) projects.[16] Interviewed in 2018, he termed his approach then as "innovative pragmatism", seeking to "be as radical as we possibly could within the confines that we were subjected to by central government", arguing that "It was a bullshit scheme—I wouldn't have chosen it at all. It didn't give value for money. But what were we supposed to do as a local authority? We either [do it or] say we are not going to build these schools or we are not going to refurbish these unfit dwellings."[16]
He became leader of the Labour Group onDerby City Council, serving as leader of the council on two separate occasions. While council leader, Williamson presided over a coalition with theConservatives for two years after Labour lost its majority in 2006.[17] He was instrumental in setting upHolocaust Memorial Day events in the city.[18]
In the2010 general election, Williamson was elected for Derby North with a majority of 613 over the Conservative candidate.
Williamson supportedEd Miliband in the2010 Labour leadership election.[19]
In October 2010, Williamson became Shadow Fire and Emergency Services Minister within the Shadow Communities and Local Government team after just four months as an MP but, after a reshuffle of theshadow cabinet in 2013, was replaced byLyn Brown.[20] He served as a member of theCommunities and Local Government Committee between July and November 2010 and from November 2013 to March 2015.[5]
In 2014, Williamson voted to support theCameron coalition's2011 military intervention in Libya and theBritish action against ISIS in Iraq. In April 2018, Williamson said that, while he was initially undetermined, he was "naive" to support the votes. He abstained on theImmigration Bill in 2014, following an instruction from Labourwhips, saying later: "I have to say—if I'm being honest—I didn't study it enough or fully appreciate the implications."[16]
Williamson was one of 16 signatories of an open letter to Ed Miliband in January 2015 calling on the party to oppose further austerity, take rail franchises back into public ownership and strengthen collective bargaining arrangements.[21]
At the2015 general election, Williamson lost the Derby North seat toAmanda Solloway of the Conservative Party by 41 votes. Labour LeaderJeremy Corbyn described Williamson in early 2016 as a "very great friend", saying that his defeat at the 2015 general election was "the worst result of that night".[22]
During the2017 general election campaign, he was described by theNew Statesman as the "most pro-Jeremy Corbyn candidate in England's most marginal constituency".[23] Williamson said that his candidacy would be a "test case for Corbynism",[24] and Corbyn campaigned for him.[16] Williamson regained his former seat from Amanda Solloway of the Conservatives with a majority of 2,015 votes.
On 3 July 2017, Williamson was appointed Shadow Fire and Emergency Services Minister.[25][26] Williamson resigned this role on 11 January 2018. A day earlier he said thatcouncil tax on the highest-value homes should be doubled. The comment, which was not party policy and outside his remit, was made without the knowledge ofAndrew Gwynne, the shadow secretary of state for communities and local government. When the issue was raised, Williamson, rather than agree to confine his public statements to his own policy area, resigned. He said: "I've taken this decision to bring me closer to the membership of our party and to allow me to work on a broader range of issues, from environmental policy to animal rights and local government."[27]
In April 2018, Williamson voiced doubts that the Syrian government was responsible for thegas attack on Douma.[28] In August 2018, he said it was a "privilege" to hear a talk by a pro-Assadblogger, Vanessa Beeley.[29][30][31]
He says that, with Corbyn as leader, the party has "a common-sense socialist" who does not place MPs in the situation of risking being in conflict with the party whips. Williamson said he is "not one for undermining the leadership publicly", explaining the difference between his history in thedivision lobbies and Corbyn's earlier frequent parliamentary vote rebellions as Corbyn expressing the opinions of party members.[16]
Williamson supported a mandatory reselection process for all Labour MPs. In 2018, Williamson,Fire Brigades Union leaderMatt Wrack andASLEF president Tosh McDonald toured England and Wales to promote this and other internal reforms which would provide "greater democracy and accountability within the party". Williamson said the tour, which was titledThe Democracy Roadshow, would promote "common sense socialism" in the Labour movement and "ensure the "transformative" change promised by Mr Corbyn can be delivered in government".[32][33]
In 2017, Williamson said that attacks on Corbyn's handling ofantisemitism within the Labour Party were "proxy wars and bullshit" and that "I'm not saying it never ever happens but it is a really dirty, lowdown trick, particularly the antisemitism smears. Many people in the Jewish community are appalled by what they see as theweaponisation of antisemitism for political ends."[34]Marie van der Zyl, theBoard of Deputies vice-president, said that Williamson should "show solidarity with those suffering racism within his own party rather than blaming the victims".[35] Williamson described antisemitism as being "utterly repugnant and a scourge on society, which is why I stand in absolute solidarity with anyone who is subjected to antisemitic abuse".[36] He added that his critics' "accusations of anti-Semitism (against him) were positively sinister" and "highly offensive and hurtful" in suggesting "that I was an anti-Semite myself, yet I have fought racism all my adult life".[37]
In April 2018, Williamson referencedKen Livingstone: "We've got these ridiculous suspensions and expulsions from the party" made "in the most grotesque and unfair way".[38] SupportingLen McCluskey, who had accused some Labour MPs of using the issue of antisemitism in campaigning against Corbyn, he described some of his colleagues as "malcontents" who were "completely out of step with party members" and voters,[39] but that deselection of MPs was "a matter for Labour Party members in each constituency and not a matter for me or indeed Len".[40] In January 2019, during a visit to Derbyshire, Jeremy Corbyn defended Williamson, saying that "Chris Williamson is a very good, very effective Labour MP. He's a very strong anti-racist campaigner. He is not anti-semitic in any way."[41]
In his 2022 memoir, Williamson detailed his belief that the Labour Party handled accusations of antisemitism poorly. He characterised the situation as a fake crisis. He has also stated that he would not cave under pressure from what he describes as "a coordinated smear operation by the Zionist lobby", a group in which Williamson, in the view of one reviewer, appears to include "the Community Security Trust, Board of Deputies of British Jews and Jewish Leadership Council, Campaign Against Antisemitism, BICOM and the Jewish Labour Movement".[42]
In February 2019, Williamson was criticised for booking a room in theHouses of Parliament for a screening ofWitch Hunt, a film about suspended party memberJackie Walker, to be hosted byJewish Voice for Labour.[43] At the same time, a video was published byThe Yorkshire Post of him telling aMomentum meeting inSheffield that the party was being "demonised as a racist, bigoted party", partly because, in response to criticism, the party had "given too much ground (and) been too apologetic", going on to say "We've done more to address the scourge of anti-Semitism than any other political party."[44][8]Labour Deputy LeaderTom Watson said that Williamson should have the Labour whip removed for his comments and a group of 38 Labour MPs had written to the party's General Secretary to ask that he be suspended.[45] There was also pressure from London mayorSadiq Khan,GMB leaderTim Roache, anti-racism charityHOPE not hate, theJewish Labour Movement and the Board of Deputies of British Jews.[46][47][48] Jewish Voice for Labour defended Williamson, as did the "Labour Against the Witchhunt" pressure group and the Sheffield Hallam constituency branch of the Labour Party who voted 40-to-0 in favour of a motion stating Williamson's comments had been taken out of context.[49][50] Williamson apologised for his comments saying: "I deeply regret, and apologise for, my recent choice of words when speaking about how the Labour Party has responded to the ongoing fight against antisemitism inside of our party. I was trying to stress how much the party has done to tackle anti-Semitism".[51][52] On 27 February 2019, he was put under formal notice of investigation,[51][43] and later that day suspended from the party.[8][47]
Labour readmitted Williamson on 26 June 2019 after aNational Executive Committee panel considered his case and issued him with a formal warning. A party source said: "An NEC panel, advised by an independent barrister, found Chris Williamson had breached the party's rules and gave him a formal sanction. He could face further, more severe, action if he repeats any similar comments or behaviour."[53] A Guardian report relying on anonymous interviews with sources close to the NEC suggested that the decision for readmission was made in order to enable Williamson to enter the Labour MP reselection process then underway.[54] The decision to readmit Williamson was criticised by some Labour parliamentarians and parliamentary staff[55] and by two British Jewish remit organisations.[53][56] Two days later, he was resuspended after the Labour Party decided to review the decision.[10]
In August 2019, Williamson lodged legal papers with theHigh Court to challenge Labour's right to resuspend him.[57][58]
On 3 September 2019 additional allegations of misconduct were made against Williamson, resulting in a second suspension being imposed. Williamson's barrister said "It appears from the timing ... that the purpose of the decision to raise these allegations now, and to impose a second suspension on the claimant, is to seek to ensure that he will remain suspended even if this claim is successful and that he will therefore remain disqualified from selection in the forthcoming general election."[59]
On 10 October 2019, the High Court ruled that reopening the first suspension had been unfair and unlawful, but upheld the legality of the second suspension on 3 September on new allegations, saying it was not inherently unfair and the "new disciplinary case must run its course".[60][61] Williamson recovered his legal costs.[62]
In July 2019, theLabour Party in Northern Ireland (LPNI) released a statement opposing the resuspension of Williamson on the grounds that it was "arbitrary and unreasonable" and "the Labour Party does not have any form of particular problem with anti-semitism".[63] In the same month, in a survey of LabourList readers with over 10,000 responses, over two thirds of those expressing a view supported Williamson's readmission.[64] The linguist and activistNoam Chomsky, who is Jewish, told journalistMatt Kennard that there was "nothing even remotely antisemitic" about Williamson's comments in Sheffield, and remarked that the way accusations were being used in cases such as Williamson was "not only a disgrace, but also – to put it simply – an insult to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust."[65] The Campaign for Chris Williamson, established to support him, includes Israeli and British academics, film directorsMike Leigh andKen Loach, musiciansBrian Eno andRoger Waters, journalistJohn Pilger, actorMiriam Margolyes and comedianAlexei Sayle.[66][67][68]
In July 2019, more than one hundred signatories, describing themselves as "all Jews", including Noam Chomsky[69] signed a letter of support for Williamson.[70] The letter was later removed fromThe Guardian website, after questions were raised about the listed affiliation of some individuals on the list of signatories.Hope not Hate said that the person who used the organisation's name had not been authorised to do so and the Board of Deputies of British Jews said that two of the signatories had promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories.[71][69]
His speaking events have been controversial. For example, Labour activists criticised his invitation to a trade union meeting inHull[72] and a talk inHebden Bridge was cancelled after fears that protests would disrupt a wedding at the same venue.[73] In October 2019, a Methodist church inDownham Market cancelled the booking for a meeting he was due to speak at after "its understanding" of Williamson increased, having not known anything about him at the time of the booking.[74]
An event due to be hosted by Williamson at the Brighthelm Centre inBrighton was cancelled after local MPPeter Kyle contacted the venue to express his concerns over Williamson's alleged antisemitism. A second venue was also cancelled; Williamson said this was after staff were threatened in person and abused in phone calls and on their personal social media accounts.[75] The Board of Deputies of British Jews and theJewish Leadership Council called a protest against Chris Williamson speaking, with a third venue then cancelling the booking after threats of violence were received.[76]Supporters of the MP talked of the importance of protecting freedom of speech.[77] In response, Williamson said: "The grotesque slurs that Peter Kyle and others have levelled against me are truly despicable. I have a long and proud record of fighting racism, which has always involved standing up for every oppressed and marginalised group in society, including Jewish people. When Peter Kyle was still in nappies, I was an active member of the Anti-Nazi League, physically confronting foul racists and anti-Semites in the National Front."[78] In October 2019, theUnion of Jewish Students and the Nottingham Jewish Society demanded that theUniversity of Nottingham cancel a planned lecture by Williamson.[79] The demand was supported by the Jewish Labour Movement and the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The university said "While the university is committed to supporting the well-being of all students within our community, we also have a legal duty to ensure that lawful free speech should not be prevented on campus."[80]
Williamson was prevented from standing as the Labour candidate in his Derby North constituency at the 2019 general election as a result of his active suspension. He resigned from the Labour Party and stood instead as an independent candidate. He received 635 votes, losing his deposit and coming bottom of the poll.[5][81][82]
Following his resignation from the Labour Party in 2019, Williamson initiated the Resistance Movement, also known as Resist, with the stated aim of fighting for change and social justice for all.[83][84][85] An international conference, titledThe Resist Festival and intending to featureLowkey, Noam Chomsky,Max Blumenthal and speakers from the FrenchYellow vests movement, was planned for June 2020 but postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[86] The Resistance Movement also has a YouTube channel, Resistance TV.[87] Resist was proscribed by the Labour Party in July 2021.[88]
In October 2020, theEqualities and Human Rights Commission report into antisemitism in the Labour Party did not find that Williamson had contributed to the "unlawful harassment related to Jewish ethnicity" in the Labour Party, which Williamson declared as vindication.[89]
In November 2020, in response to Jeremy Corbyn's suspension from the Labour Party, Williamson announced that he was in discussions with "key labour movement officials and existing left-wing parties" about the possibility of creating a new socialist party.[62] A press release announced that Williamson had joined the Steering Committee of theTrade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) as an observer member.[90]
On 2 August 2022, theElectoral Commission registered a new party called System Change, with Williamson as the leader.[91][non-primary source needed]
In July 2023, Williamson joined theWorkers Party of Britain.[92] The party has defended Williamson over his suspension from the Labour Party for his comments about antisemitism.[93]
At the party's Congress in December 2023, whenGeorge Galloway was re-elected party leader. Williamson was among three deputy leaders elected.[14]
Williamson currently hosts the television programmePalestine Declassified on the Iranian government-owned TV channelPressTV.[94]
On 19 October 2023, Derbyshire Police said they had received "multiple reports" about a post by Williamson onX and were considering whether the post was a hate crime. Williamson's post stated "Israel has forfeited any right to exist".[95] In an interview on 8 November, Williamson said in some respects Israel's actions against Gaza are worse thanNazi Germany.[96] On 18 January 2024, Williamson publicly stated that "Israel must be destroyed."[97]
Williamson stood in theDerby South constituency as theWorkers Party candidate at the2024 general election.[15] He finished third with 5,205 votes (behind Labour'sBaggy Shanker, another former council leader (14,503) andReform UK (8,501) and beating the Conservatives (5,192) into fourth place by 12 votes.[98]
Williamson isteetotal and has been avegan since 1976.[99] He has a son and a daughter, Fionnbharr and Simone, from an early relationship. He is a member of theLeague Against Cruel Sports[100][16] and was its National Chair in 1992.[101] He is a republican.[102]
At the time of the 2010 election, he was vice-chair of the Local Government Anti Poverty Forum.[103]
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forDerby North 2010–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forDerby North 2017–2019 | Succeeded by Amanda Solloway |
| Artists | |
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