Westminster stunned as he ditches last Corbynite on his team
Keir Starmer at an indoor market in Stevenage yesterday
KEIR Starmer has sensationally sacked Rebecca LongBailey from Labour’s front bench for sharing an “antiSemitic conspiracy theory”.
The party leader fired the Shadow Education Secretary after she tweeted an article claiming the police who killed George Floyd had been trained by Israel.
Mr Floyd died after an officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck.
Ms Long-Bailey, 40, Mr Starmer’s leadership rival, endorsed an interview with actress Maxine Peake in which she claimed Israelis had trained US police in deadly tactics.
The left-winger tweeted: “Maxine Peake is an absolute diamond”.
Ms Long-Bailey later tried to backtrack. She insisted she had re-tweeted the wide-ranging article – in which Ms Peake also discussed Labour’s future and her career – because of the actress’s achievements and her call for party unity
She added: “It wasn’t intended to be an endorsement of all aspects of the article.” But it was not enough to save the last senior Corbynite.
Last night Ms Long-Bailey said she was “really upset”. She understood why Ms Peake’s comments caused “extreme concern” but added that politicians shouldn’t shy away from talking about police brutality. She went on: “There is a lightning speed of the dismissal shocked Westminster but underlined Mr Starmer’s firm approach to anti-Semitism. His spokesman said: “Keir Starmer asked Rebecca LongBailey to step down. The article Rebecca shared earlier today contained an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.”
The Jewish Board of Deputies said: “We gave her the opportunity to retract. Her response was pathetic.” Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said: “Criticism of practices of the Israeli state is not anti-Semitic.” Last night Ms Peake said she had been “inaccurate in her assumption” of US police training.
OUT Long-Bailey endorsed Ms Peake, right valid concern across the world and, worded in the right way, I don’t think it’s racist or antiSemitic to draw attention to that.”
And she warned Mr Starmer would have to work “very hard” to show he was not rolling back on promises he made to the left. The