Labour candidate suspended over Chief Rabbi comment

V LABOUR HAS suspended a candidate standing for election to its ruling body after he accused a party leadership candidate of “cuddling up to the Jewish Labour Movement and the Chief Rabbi, a well-known Tory”.

Graham Durham, a Brent Central Labour Party member, was suspended after the JC reported on comments he made at a post-general election gathering in central London.

Mr Durham was cheered by many in the audience at a rally in January as he said that left-wing Labour leadership candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey did not deserve support because she was “cuddling up” to the Jewish Labour Movement” and the “well-known Tory” Chief Rabbi. “We should not be allowing that,” he said.

The suspension of Mr Durham, who gained 13 local party nominations from across the country after declaring his candidacy for the National Executive Committee on January 30, makes him ineligible to stand. On Sunday, Mr Durham

tweeted: “I am not to my knowledge suspended but, whilst anti-racist to my core, I did call the Chief Rabbi a Tory.. are facts illegal now.”

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis took the unprecedented step during the general election campaign of publicly attacking Labour’s antisemitism.

When contacted by LabourList about his suspension, Mr Durham described the JC report as “inaccurate”.

He said: “Luckily there were 150 people present, most of whom applauded the points I made in critical support of Rebecca Long-Bailey”.

He is the latest NEC candidate to be suspended after Wirral councillor Jo Bird, who previously spoke of the “privileging” of antisemitism over other forms of racism and joked about “Jew process”, was suspended from taking part in the elections.

However, according to LabourList Cllr Bird has had her suspension lifted and all of her CLP nominations are considered valid.

The all-member ballot is expected to open on February 24.