On February 13, 2024, Labour suspended another parliamentary candidate due to alleged comments about Israel. Graham Jones, the former Labour MP for Hyndburn, is facing an investigation after making remarks about Israel. This comes after Labour withdrew support for the party’s candidate for the Rochdale by-election, Azhar Ali, for apparently making antisemitic remarks.
Jones had been selected to contest his former Lancashire seat in the forthcoming general election. The BBC reported that Jones was suspended for comments he appears to have made about Israel, although Labour has yet to identify the specific remarks. Audio was published on Tuesday by the Guido Fawkes website in which Jones allegedly uses an expletive to refer to Israel and argues that British people who fight in the Israel Defense Forces “should be locked up”. Labour has called Jones in for an interview and will need to go through a formal process to remove his candidacy.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has taken “decisive action” over comments made by Azhar Ali. Initially, the party stood by Ali when he apologized for telling a meeting of Labour members and councillors that Israel had “allowed” the Hamas attacks on 7 October as a pretext to invade Gaza. However, when the Daily Mail published a fuller recording from the meeting, Labour made the decision to withdraw support. Starmer has faced criticism for the handling of the case, but has received support from Lord Mann, the government’s advisor on antisemitism and a former Labour MP.
It is a significant development for Labour, and the party is facing scrutiny for its handling of antisemitism cases. Housing minister Lee Rowley told the BBC that the situation with Mr Ali had been “a complete mess”. Although Labour has withdrawn its support, electoral rules mean that Ali will still appear as the party’s candidate on the ballot paper. If elected, he would sit as an independent.
Historically, Labour has faced accusations of antisemitism within its ranks. This has been a contentious issue for the party and its leadership, with ongoing efforts to address and confront instances of antisemitism. The recent actions by Labour in suspending Jones and withdrawing support for Ali reflect the party’s attempts to demonstrate a firm stance against antisemitism and to address concerns within the Jewish community.
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