Labour Party apologises to whistleblowers and broadcaster John Ware over Panorama antisemitism defamation

The Labour Party issued a formal apology to the seven former employees of the Party and journalist John Ware at the High Court today, and agreed to pay substantial damages, as part of a settlement of the defamation case brought against the Party.

Patron Law, led by partner Mark Lewis, acted for the claimants, who appeared on the Panorama programme “Is Labour Anti-Semitic?”, which was broadcast in July 2019. The case emanated from false and defamatory allegations directed at the claimants by senior figures within Labour in response to the programme presented by award-winning journalist John Ware, the subject-matter of which was Labour’s handling of disciplinary cases involving antisemitism.

Mark Lewis said “This is just the start. Actions are being taken against those who repeat the libels, and will be taken against those who choose to do so in future. An honest opinion has to be based upon facts. Regrettably there are too many out there who do not bother to check the facts.”