Livingstone suspended over anti-Semitism row

Former mayor of London Ken Livingstone has been suspended by the Labour Party for “bringing the party into disrepute” in the wake of the anti-Semitism row, officials said on Thursday.

Senior figures in the party, including Labour’s candidate for London mayor and two shadow cabinet ministers, called for Mr Livingstone to be thrown out after he said Naz Shah’s actions were “over the top” but not anti-Semitic.

In a BBC Radio London interview, the former London mayor claimed Hitler had supported Zionism before the Holocaust as he insisted he had never heard anyone within Labour be anti-Semitic.

Labour’s mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan said: “Ken Livingstone‘s comments are appalling and inexcusable. There must be no place for this in our party.”

Shadow Commons leader Chris Bryant told MPs: “I’m sick and tired of people trying to explain it away and yes, I’m talking to you Ken Livingstone.”

Asked if Mr Livingstone should be suspended, shadow mental health minister Luciana Berger replied “yes”.

Labour MP Wes Streeting, who has been pushing the party to take action to stamp out anti-Semitic behaviour, said: “Ken Livingstone has form on anti-Semitism and has been tolerated for far too long. He should be suspended immediately.

“Decent Labour members need to decide how to respond to anti-Semitism within our ranks. Silence is complicity. We must all speak out.”

Jonathan Arkush, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “Ken Livingstone‘s comments were abhorrent and beyond disgraceful. He denies anti-Semitism in Labour when the evidence is there for all to see.”

He said the former London mayor “lacks any sense of reality and decency” and is “well past his sell-by date”.

He added: “He must now be expelled from the Labour Party without further ado.”

Bradford West MP Ms Shah was suspended by Labour pending an investigation for posting offensive messages on social media before being elected to parliament.

Mr Livingstone told the BBC: “Her remarks were over the top but she is not anti-Semitic.

“I have been in the Labour Party for 40 years and I have never heard anyone say anything anti-Semitic.

“I have heard a lot of criticism for the state of Israel and its abuse of Palestinians, but I have never heard someone be anti-Semitic.”

He added: “When Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.

“But the simple fact in all of this is that Naz made these comments at a time when there was another brutal Israeli attack on the Palestinians.”

UK Jewish News