Labour MPs should face open selection

DEAR Editor, The Labour Party is a collective organisation of 550,000 members plus affiliated trade unions.

It does not have anti-Semitic policies or views and none of its elected representatives, such as party officials or MPs express such views. It is sad to see that the Birmingham MPs you quote (with the exception of Roger Godsiff ) failed to say so (City MPs admit anti-Semitism in Corbyn’s Labour, Post, March 29).

We have combined Labour Party membership of some 80 years and have held a variety of elected positions within the party. Over the years we have met hundreds, possibly thousands, of Labour Party members.

Not one of them has ever expressed anti-Semitic comments within our hearing. Currently we live in Hall Green parliamentary constituency where around 40 per cent of 1,200 party members are Muslim.

It is worth saying, in view of some comments made about Muslims, that none have made anti-Semitic remarks at meetings or in our presence.

We are infuriated that we and other Labour Party members are, by implication, smeared as anti-Semites.

This comes from right wing factions and MPs within Labour who are using anti-Semitism as a weapon to attack Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

It is alleged, but not proven, that a small totally unrepresentative number of Labour members have expressed anti-Semitic views.

These allegations, with evidence and right of defence, need to be speedily dealt with by legally watertight procedures in the Labour Party.