A letter to Heather

re: "Labour membership drops 10% amid unrest over Brexit stance"
​to: [email protected]

Dear Heather,


I know you aren't responsible for the headlines which appear over your pieces (I assume not, anyway) but I want you to know that I take issue with the tenor of your article today which makes such headlines possible. Basically, it seems you have been fed by unattributable sources that Labour is losing members - that leads the story. But then - absurdly - buried in the depths of your report you write 'more members have joined Labour than quit during recent months.' But you can't tell us how many! So what exactly are you saying? The tenor of your report is overwhelmingly negative, so I guess that's the impression you want to leave.

As per the Guardian house rule, you complete your article with more of the Labour anti-semitism stuff. I complained about an article in yesterday's paper about the same thing - why did it have to be repeated again? (I posted my complaint on my blog - I can't say I'm too hopeful of getting a response from the paper.) You repeat the suggestion that a motion on anti-semitism was 'passed' by the PLP - yet it seems no vote was taken. How then was it 'passed?'

I have been a Labour member for as long as I've been a Guardian reader - over 35 years - and I was a member of the PLP for nine years. I am beginning to get somewhat weary of the editorial line that you are clearly required to follow - a line which increasingly doesn't seem to be based on transparent evidence but emerges from unattributable briefings or as in the case of Margaret Hodge, openly coated with venom for Jeremy Corbyn.

Please speak to your editors and see if you can get something done about it. I'll post this letter on my blog, and I will do the same with your reply, if you do reply.

Best regards

Colin Challen
(Labour MP for Morley and Rothwell 2001-2010)

Blog correction: the gain in membership should refer to weeks, as in the article quoted, not months.