Labour has been running scared since it came to light that it suppressed findings from its own inquiry into anti-Semitism within a the party.
The full report – written by Labour peer Baroness Royall – detailed specific incidents of anti-Jewish behaviour at Oxford University Labour Club.
However, these were omitted from the version of the document the party published in May.
The full report was eventually leaked to the Jewish Chronicle this week, which is how the cover-up came to light.
Labour has refused to publicly discuss any of this on the absurd ground that it does not comment on leaked reports.
The party has refused to comment on the leak, and will not even say whether it is investigating who was behind it.
But an investigation by Heat Street has shown that electronic traces on the leaked document carry the name of a party insider who had access to the report – the party’s own Head of Risk Management, Mike Creighton.
Creighton is a wildlife enthusiast who, notably, was a keen supporter of Ed Miliband, Labour’s first ever Jewish leader, until he quit the leadership last year.
Documents show a digital fingerprint linking Creighton to the version of the report leaked to the Jewish Chronicle:
The “author” tag, buried in the document’s metadata, matches the username Mike Creighton would have used.
It shows that the pdf document was created on August 1 – months after Royall’s report was submitted, but likely the very same day it was leaked to the Chronicle.
Labour sources confirmed that Creighton created the document as part of his role overseeing compliance in the party, which includes the handling of Royall’s report.
He therefore would have had unfettered access to the report – which somehow made its way to the staff of the Chronicle.
The Labour Party has strenuously denied that Mr Creighton is behind the leak. Creighton himself could not be reached for comment.
Though it remains unclear who was responsible, Creighton’s job was certainly to prevent it from taking place.
Senior staffers have previously admitted a problem with leaking.
In a recent documentary by Vice News, Corbyn’s chief spin doctor Seumas Milne said he believed moles in the party were handing information to the Conservatives:
Footage of a preparation session before a clash between Corbyn and Cameron at PMQs showed Milne claiming that leaks happen “about a third of the time”, and gave then-Prime Minister David Cameron an edge.
The problems will likely have intensified in tandem with Labour’s civil war, which has seen rebel MP Owen Smith challenge Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership.
