Jewish leaders to insist Livingstone must go
Pressure is mounting on Jeremy Corbyn to back stand on anti-semitism by expelling long-time ally
JEWISH leaders will tell Jeremy Corbyn to prove his “militant” opposition to anti-semitism by expelling his old ally Ken Livingstone from Labour, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.
The Labour leader will be told at a face-to-face meeting to bring the two-year investigation into Mr Livingstone’s conduct to a close if he is serious about cleansing his party of anti-jewish hatred.
It comes after Mr Corbyn defended his decision to attend a Passover event hosted by Jewdas, a Left-wing group which has described Israel as a “steaming pile of sewage” which needs to be “properly disposed of ”.
His attendance at the Seder celebration on Monday was heavily criticised by mainstream Jewish groups, who questioned his commitment to tackling anti-semitism in the wake of an unprecedented demonstration outside of Parliament last week.
Mr Corbyn is also under pressure to overhaul Labour’s disciplinary process and bring investigations into suspended members to a “swift conclu- sion”, after it emerged that several cases have dragged on for more than 18 months.
With relations between the Labour leader and the Jewish community at an all-time low, Mr Corbyn has finally agreed to meet with the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council to discuss their concerns. Jennie Formby, Labour’s new general secretary, is also expected to attend.
Writing on Tuesday evening, Mr Corbyn said that he would be happy to meet them “without any preconditions”, adding: “I place no limitations on the points you would wish to raise.”
However, a source close to the Jewish leaders warned last night that the success of the meeting will hinge on whether Mr Corbyn is prepared to move against Mr Livingstone and expel him permanently. While Mr Livingstone’s case will form a “key component” of the meeting, the source added that Mr Corbyn is expected to come bearing “concrete, practical outcomes” on how to deal with the crisis.
“Expelling Ken Livingstone will be a key component of all the things they will be raising,” they continued.
“We’ve heard words again and again, what we need to see is action. Finally ridding the party of Ken Livingstone will form part of that.”
It comes almost two years after Mr Livingstone was first suspended from the party for suggesting that Adolf Hitler supported Zionism during the Thirties. In the wake of a public outcry, Mr Livingstone repeatedly refused to apologise for his remarks, stating in one interview: “I can’t bring myself to deny the truth.”
Despite widespread calls for the former London mayor to be ousted, last year a disciplinary panel decided to extend his suspension for an additional 12 months.
However, Labour is yet to confirm a date for his final hearing before the National Executive Committee – despite his suspension elapsing on April 27 – raising fears that he could be readmitted to the party.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Labour MP John Mann said: “The sooner he goes the better. He has become an embarrassment to Jeremy Corbyn.”
Mr Corbyn is also under pressure to accelerate the investigations into as many as 75 party members accused of anti-semitism, following reports that some have remained in limbo for more than a year.
The meeting is expected to take place before Parliament reconvenes on April 16.