Councillor in anti-Semitism row is Khan ally

A LABOUR councillor who was suspended over claims he published anti-Semitic posts attacking “Jewish-owned” social media outlets went on to campaign for Sadiq Khan.

Tanweer Khan was reinstated in April, following a two-month investigation into the claims.

The councillor for Redbridge, east London, immediately resumed his activities as a Labour member, canvassing for Sadiq Khan’s campaign to be re-elected as Mayor of London.

Photographs of Mr Khan campaigning for the mayor and Labour’s London Assembly candidates were posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Following his reinstatement, Mr Khan was re-listed on his Labour branch website as chairman of Mayfield Labour Party and chairman of the council’s pension fund committee. His name had been removed post-suspension.

Mr Khan, tipped as a future Labour MP, denied that he wrote or posted anti-Semitic statements on his social media accounts, claiming the people responsible for them were “disgruntled former Labour Party members”.

The statements claimed Facebook was under the control of the Israeli government and allegedly described Mark Zuckerberg, its owner, as a “Zionist billionaire”, using what is widely seen as an anti-Semitic trope.

In May 2021, a statement was posted on Labayk – a social media app Mr Khan set up aimed at Muslims – that said: “I don’t understand why people are asking others... to join their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp groups etc. These are pretty much all Jewish-owned platforms.”

Mr Khan said: “The [Labour] NEC has concluded its investigation into the complaint against me in accordance with the Labour Party’s disciplinary procedures. The NEC has determined that I did not post the statement on the Labayk website... The NEC has therefore decided to take no further action and my administrative suspension of Labour Party membership has been lifted.”

Mr Khan had earlier denied writing or posting the anti-Semitic statements, telling The Telegraph: “None of these comments were made or posted by me. When I first became aware... back in late 2021, I immediately reported them to the Labour Party myself.”

Labour sources said this week that they could not comment on the outcome of its investigation or on Mr Khan’s readmission to the party as the process was confidential.