Deselection threat to Jewish MP unless she says sorry to Corbyn

A JEWISH Labour MP faces the threat of deselection unless she apologises to Jeremy Corbyn after hard-left activists took over her party while she is on maternity leave, it has emerged.

Luciana Berger, who has in the past suffered anti-semitic abuse, was forced to issue a statement in support of the party leader after members of Corbyn-backing grass roots group Momentum took over her local party.

Allies warned the hard-left takeover is the first of many brewing around the country after Mr Corbyn shored-up his position with a better than expected performance at the general election.

Similar clashes between so-called moderate Labour MPS who previously campaigned against Mr Corbyn’s leadership, and hard-left campaigners who do not want to see him ousted, have been reported around the country.

Roy Bentham, a hard-left Labour member who was voted on to the local party executive replacing supporters of Ms Berger, issued a statement apparently threatening the sitting Liverpool Wavertree MP with removal unless she steps into line.

He said: “Luciana needs to get on board quite quickly now. She will now have to sit round the table with us the next time she wants to vote for bombing in Syria or to pass a no-confidence motion in the leader of the party – she will have to be answerable to us. We would like her to come out publicly like other MPS have done and apologise for not supporting him in the past.”

In response Ms Berger issued a statement, but has so far yet to apologise. It said: “We are united in wanting to secure a new general election and the return of a Labour government under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn as soon as possible.

“We had a great local result on June 8, with the Labour majority going up for the third election in a row. That is thanks to the hard work of local members and a revitalised national party under Jeremy Corbyn.”

Ms Berger was one of a number of Labour MPS who resigned their positions on the party’s front-bench team last year in protest over Mr Corbyn’s leadership.