DANGEROUS LIAISON: LABOUR & THE SPOOKS by Larry O’Hara (slightly adapted from 2 articles published in Labour Briefing February & March 2023)
As soon as Labour formed a (minority) government, under Ramsay McDonald, in 1924, the security services began undermining them, using a (forged) letter from prominent Russian Communist Grigori Zinoviev, supposedly to the British Communist Party, welcoming the governmentâs normalisation of trade relations with post-revolutionary Russia. Released by the Daily Mail days before the subsequent election it precipitated a landslide Tory victory, even though not even addressed to anyone in Labour. While Labour was (sadly) no threat in the wilderness 1930âs, while in 1950âs opposition, as part of the Cold War, the CIA began funding Labour Right publications such as Encounter and Socialist Commentary via fronts such as the âCongress For Cultural Freedomâ.Â
Harold Wilson, with a broader support base than Nye Bevan, was from 1951 (after resigning from the government over prescription charges) seen as a particular threat, not least because he had always advocated trade with the Soviet Union, and even (God forbid) visited. When Hugh Gaitskell died in 1963 and Wilson became leader, and PM between 1964-70, the rumour machine went into overdrive, there was even speculation Gaitskell had been murdered. While never on the transformative Left, Wilson was independent-minded, a good speaker, and well capable of being all things to all members. In 1968 there were murmurings about a possible military coup, a discussion revived during the mid-1970âs industrial unrest. As Labourâs policy platform shifted Left in the early 1970s (influenced by Stuart Holland and Tony Benn) elements within MI5 became apoplectic. There was a profusion of forged documents/disinformation about even right-leaning Labour ministers such as Ted Short, chronicled by Colin Wallace, sometime âInformation Officerâ in Northern Ireland. Ultras within MI5 (whose F branch was devoted to spying on/undermining the Left) relentlessly smeared Wilson, PM again between 1974-76, believing (falsely) that he was a Soviet agent. This (illegal) plot against a serving PM was outlined by former MI5 officer Peter Wright, and the attempted rebuttal of his claims by MI5 court historian Christopher Andrew is so laughable it should be filed under comedy. After Wilson resigned in 1976 he attributed doing so in part to such pressures, which also involved apartheid era South African Security Agency BOSS. Speaking of which (and showing the lengths spooks go to) BOSS even manufactured an elaborate plot to smear (then Liberal) Anti-Apartheid campaigner Peter Hain, framing him for a 1977 Putney bank-robbery!
While the above features high-level Labour figures, we should not forget insidious co-operation between MI5/Special Branch and black-listing organisations like the Economic League, causing Labour (and other Left) activists to lose jobs. Then there was the 1977 Stetchford by-election (to replace European Commission-bound Roy Jenkins) when Peter Marriner, a Nazi SB/MI5/Searchlight informant, was initially election agent for the Labour candidate.
Moving into the 1980âs, relentless smears against Left standard-bearer Tony Benn certainly had the aura of security service involvement, an impression not dispelled by the suggestion Mrs Thatcherâs consiglieri, Airey Neave (later assassinated himself in mysterious circumstances by the INLA using technologyâa mercury tilt switchâlight years ahead of their normal MO) had in 1979 discussed with former MI6 officer Lee Tracy a plot to kill Tony Benn, should he become leader. Michael Foot, Leader 1980-83, was in 1995 accused by former Soviet Agent (and MI6 effluent-pipe) Oleg Gordievsky of having been on the KGBâs pay-roll. Foot successfully sued the Sunday Times for printing this garbage.
John Smith, described by many as Labourâs lost leader, was friendly with ex-MI6 operative Margaret Ramsay, a policy adviser. No threat to the status quo there, nor was there from the (deracinated) Neil Kinnock, or warmonger Tony Blair. Ed Miliband was subject to malicious smears (with a hint of anti-Semitism) on account of his father Ralph Miliband having been a profoundly influential Marxist thinker, though strange to say this taint does not seem to have attached itself to brother David.
This is the historical background, and context, to ultimately successful attempts to undermine Jeremy Corbyn and his allies when leader, which certainly involved (among others) the security services. The forthcoming Alex Nunns book (Sabotage) might be illuminating, though the fact it is now scheduled to be published as late as 2025 is perturbing… In the meantime, no need for undue pessimism: what is needed rather are realistic counter-strategies: Michael Footâs was one such that really should be used more often.
For over 50 years, Jeremy Corbyn has been active in Left/progressive politics, and subject to secret state interference, reaching a crescendo after he became Labour Leader in 2015, not abating till he departed following the 2019 General Election. Even now, he is subject to vilification, such that he felt compelled to stand as an independent in the 2024 General Election, after his local constituency party, Islington North, were denied the opportunity to reselect him to be their candidate.
The first recorded instance of Corbyn being spied on is a 30/11/77 Special Branch Report from Haringey Anti-Racist Conference. Interestingly (given later false claims about him being anti-Semitic) Corbyn is described as âmainly involvedâŚin anti-fascist actionsâ. Consider also the revelation by former undercover police officer Peter Francis in 2015 that Corbyn (elected 1983) was one MP he spied on in the 1990âs. The definition of subversion used to justify such: attempting âto undermine or overthrow parliamentary democracyâ, has never applied to Jeremy Corbynâs politics thus, from day one, such snooping has been illegitimate and illegal.
While Corbyn was an isolated (within parliament) Labour Left MP, other than monitoring militant contacts supporting causes he espoused (Irish Republicans and Palestinian Resistance the two most well-known) Corbynâs threat to the status quo seemed minimal. This dramatically changed when Corbyn was elected leader, at that point measures to cauterise the âCorbyn Projectâ multiplied. In a complex capitalist society like ours, the mechanisms and agencies of class power are numerous and overlapping: various media outlets, the civil service, big business, the City, different security agencies (domestic and foreign especially the US) MPs, the armed forces and other âspecial interestâ groups. Like a tag team, between 2015 and 2019, different (hostile) actors stepped up to the plate. First up a (still) unnamed âsenior army generalâ, who a week after Corbyn took over talked of mutiny against policies they disliked, using âwhatever means possible fair or foulâ. It is already well chronicled how the Labour Right actively sabotaged the 2017 Election campaign, and equally the Guardian newspaperâs lead role (average of one story a day according to Matt Kennard) in spreading the Corbynism=Anti-Semitism canard is also undeniable. This relentless drip-feeding of poison into political discourse (the BBC included) explains the paradox of Corbyn morphing between 2017 and 2019 into a hate figure.
A specific spook contribution to undermining Corbyn, and thus Labour, was repeated claims Corbyn was untrustworthy on national security. In the public domain, and surely with their successors approval, Richard Dearlove (MI6 Chief when mythical weapons of mass destruction justified the Iraq War) and Stella Rimington (who as MI5 Chief shut down the desk monitoring Islamist âterrorists) weighed in against Corbyn. Furthermore, leaks of concocted/fictional security service files labelled both Corbyn and key adviser Andrew Murray Czech intelligence assets. Tom Bowerâs attempted hatchet-job on Corbyn, âDangerous Heroâ, is full of such rubbish: find it in Remainder book-shops on the comedy shelf. Seumas Milne, Corbynâs Director of Communications, is still loathed by MI5 for exposing their role in the 1984-5 Minerâs Strike.
The failed 2016 Labour Right coup against Corbyn and 2017 Election near-miss (Labour almost winning) was a real wake-up call to the establishment, and another spook throw of the dice was to misrepresent Corbyn meetings with Andrew Parker (MI5) and Alex Younger (MI6) in September and October 2018 respectively, the slant being he was dressed down/weak. The meeting content was not leaked to the press by Corbynâs team, but spooks. Predictably, Gabriel Pogrund/Patrick Maguireâs deeply flawed book âInside Outâ ridiculed âCorbyn Projectâ concerns about spooks, this from two journalists working for the same Times stable that gave space to that âun-namedâ general in 2015 advocating mutiny. More credibly, Mike Pompeo (former CIA Director and at the time Trumpâs Secretary of State) was secretly recorded in 2019 admitting Corbyn was running a âgauntletâ and the US would not wait for his election to âpush backâ. Those of us who remember Chile 1973 know where that can end. Also before the 2019 Election (anonymous) civil servants were quoted as saying Corbyn was âtoo frailâ to become PM.
While (from a spook/establishment perspective) Labour is no threat under Starmer (Assaf Kaplan above for example), it wasnât before Corbyn: let us hope and organise so the wheel of political fortune turns Left againâŚ
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