Campaigners have raised over £140,000 in a “legal fund” for Jeremy Corbyn after Panorama presenter John Ware said he was ready to sue the former Labour leader.
The crowdfund was circulated across social media by the former Labour leader’s supporters amid an outcry of support from Corbyn-aligned MP's and party members.
“The relentless attacks on Mr Corbyn, a man of integrity, honesty and humility cannot be allowed to continue and we have an opportunity here to offer him support in a practical way", the page reads. “It will also let him know that his supporters have not forgotten him, nor have they gone away".
Corbyn issued a thank you tweet in response to the widespread support.
Thank you friends and comrades for your solidarity.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 23, 2020
Our campaigning for a better world continues.
It follows confirmation by a representative of Mr Ware, the journalist who led the program, that they would be looking into legal action over Mr Corbyn’s claim that the Labour settlement “risks giving credibility to misleading and inaccurate allegations”.
The GoFundMe page was created by Carole Morgan on Wednesday after Mr Corbyn issued a criticism of the Labour Party’s decision to apologise and pay “substantial damages” in a settlement with former party employees who made accusations of antisemitism in a BBC Panorama documentary within the party during his tenure as leader.
The party was reportedly told they could win the case but new leadership under Sir Keir Starmer agreed to make the apology and settle - indicating a significant shift in the approach from his predecessor.
In a response to criticism from some members over the move, Sir Keir said that he wanted to "draw a line" under anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.
“I made it clear that we would draw a line under anti-Semitism. Settling this case was important in that respect", he said. “It was the right decision, the right thing to do".
The antisemitism scandal in the Labour Party plagued the Corbyn leadership. However, some supporters of the former leader have claimed the accusations were concocted or exaggerated in a weaponised attempt to damage the left-wing leadership at the time.
In his criticism on Twitter, Mr Corbyn made reference to the leaked labour report earlier this year which seemed to reveal that some involved in the BBC Panorama documentary had "factional" difference with the leadership and were actively working to undermine it, including withholding information about antisemitism incidents in the party
