Labour branch to investigate how Iranian state TV station banned in UK was allowed to film party meeting

Press TV, which is banned in the UK, provided live coverage of vote of no confidence in MP Joan Ryan

(Press TV)

A local Labour Party branch is investigating how the Iranian state broadcaster was allowed to film a meeting at which members passed a vote of no confidence in a pro-Israel MP.

Press TV, which is banned in the UK, recorded a party meeting in the Enfield North constituency at which Joan Ryan lost a no confidence motion.

Ms Ryan, a former minister under Tony Blair, chairs the Labour Friends of Israel group and has been highly critical of Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of antisemitism in the party. She lost the vote by 94 votes to 92.

Speaking afterwards, Ms Ryan said Press TV had “infiltrated” the Labour Party.

“I’m horrified that they’ve infiltrated the Labour Party in this way and I think it needs to be investigated, because it is incredibly serious,” she told The Telegraph. “I’m proud of my values and I don’t expect to be the toast of the mouthpiece of the Iranian regime.”

The chair of Enfield North Labour, Siddo Dwyer, said there would be an investigation into how Press TV was allowed to attend the meeting.

“This is totally unacceptable,” he wrote on Twitter. “In my capacity as chair, I’ll be writing to formally complain to Press TV for their broadcasting of our meeting.

“The national Labour Party has been informed about filming by Iranian state TV of our CLP meeting. An investigation will take place and a formal complaint lodged.”

Mr Dwyer said the Press TV crew had been told not to film but ignored instructions.

“Warnings were issued about filming, including a direct warning to the member in question,” he said. “It didn’t occur to any of us at the time that they were from a state broadcaster.”

The Tehran-backed broadcaster disputed this, telling CNN: “At no point were we asked to stop filming at last night’s Joan Ryan vote even though we filmed openly.

“We would have stopped had we been asked to. There were no ‘no filming’ posters up and there was no public announcement. We just did our reporting job.”

A spokesperson for Labour said filming of party meetings was “not permitted” and that the Enfield North branch “will be reminded of this fact”.

Press TV was banned by UK broadcast regulator Ofcom in 2012 after it found that editorial decisions were being taken in Tehran.

The station was fined £100,000 a year earlier for broadcasting an interview with an imprisoned journalist that had been conducted under the threat of execution.

Its presence at the Enfield North meeting was condemned by Labour MPs, including Tom Watson, the deputy leader, who said: “Impossible to fathom how Iran state TV was able to live-tweet the Joan Ryan no confidence vote at Enfield North – from inside the CLP meeting.

“This disorder makes a farce of the proceedings and is not how the modern Labour Party should conduct its affairs.”

Owen Smith, who ran against Mr Corbyn for the party leadership in 2016, said: “Iranian State TV is now live-streaming Labour Party meetings, as part of their propaganda campaign against Israel.

“Labour members should reflect on that for a moment and ask if you are comfortable with what we are becoming in the eyes of the world.”

It comes as Labour was accused of failing to inform victims of antisemitism that it was investigating threats involving them.

An LBC investigation found 10 of the party’s MPs had not been told that Labour’s disciplinary bodies were looking into threats of violence against them. Those affected include Jewish MPs Margaret Hodge and Luciana Berger.

John Mann MP, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group Agaimst Antisemitism, told the radio station there should be an investigation into whether there had been a “conscious decision” to not pass on the information.

He said: “If it was a conscious decision then that itself would need referring to police – if it was a conscious decision and any evidence of that. I don’t have any paperwork that suggests that but that needs to be part of an investigation now.”

A Labour spokesperson said: “When the party is made aware of a serious and possible criminal threat against an MP or party member, that individual is informed and the matter is referred to our Safeguarding Unit to report it to the police.”