Key figures in Labour when Jeremy Corbyn was leader are mulling a challenge to the party’s settlement with a BBC journalist and seven of its former staff over a libel case relating to a Panorama programme last year about its handling of antisemitism.
It is understood the former Labour leader himself as well as his former director of communications Seumas Milne have taken legal advice about the settlement and apology set to be read at the high court on Wednesday.
The Guardian understands a full-scale legal challenge to the statement of apology is now unlikely ahead of the hearing listed for 10am at the high court but senior figures are now considering routes for a future challenge to the settlement.
According to several sources, an out of court settlement was reached in the last week between the journalist and the former staff, all of whom worked in the Labour party’s governance and legal unit and were responsible for investigation of allegations of misconduct by party members.
It is understood a formal apology was requested by the litigants and this is due to be read out in court on Wednesday.
John Ware, who led the Panorama investigation, sued over a statement by Labour that the BBC had engaged in “deliberate and malicious representations designed to mislead the public” in its broadcast.
Labour submitted a formal complaint about the programme to the BBC, but the corporation’s Executive Complaints Unit rejected it as did Ofcom. The watchdog rejected 28 complaints against the programme for alleged bias, concluding it was “duly impartial” and included the Labour party’s response prominently throughout.
The Panorama programme Is Labour Anti-Semitic?, which was screened in July last year, made a number of serious claims about the party’s internal culture for dealing with complaints of antisemitism.
In the programme, eight whistleblowers, seven of whom involved in the legal action against the party, broke non-disclosure agreements to tell the BBC that they felt fatally undermined by senior Labour bosses in their attempts to tackle antisemitism, alleging consistent interference in complaints.
