MP hit by anti- Jewish hate crime stands by Corbyn

ONE OF Yorkshire’s senior Labour MPs has lent his support to Jeremy Corbyn, revealing he has been a victim of anti- Semitic hate crime.

Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett spoke at a rally organised by Labour group Momentum last night, backing the former opposition leader who was this week suspended from the Party.

Mr Corbyn was suspended after comments made over the publication of a report into antiSemitism, saying the issue had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons” by his critics.

In last night’s rally, Mr Trickett said the decision to suspend the former leader had been “unjust”. He said: “My ancestors were Jewish. Two or three years ago, I was stopped in the street not by the Left, but by a fascist who said he was going to ‘ fill the streets with patriots and wipe away’ people like me. That is the true face of anti- Semitism in this country.”

He added “What was done to Jeremy yesterday was unfair and unjust, and I believe we can get him back into our party.” Richard Burgon, Labour MP for East Leeds, said a “civil war” in the Party “serves no- one but the Tory government”.

He said: “The priority for the whole Labour movement must be to force the Government to change track and to fight the racism and scapegoating of black and Jewish communities that I fear will soar across society as the economic crisis deepens.”

It came as Diane Abbott, who was shadow Home Secretary under Mr Corbyn, shared an online petition calling for Labour to “reinstate” him after his suspension.

SIR KEIR Starmer has said there is “no reason for a civil war” in the Labour Party after anger from some on the left over Jeremy Corbyn’s suspension for his response to a damning anti- Semitism report.

The Labour leader appealed for unity and for an end to factional fighting yesterday amid fallout from the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s finding that the party broke the equality law when Mr Corbyn was in charge.

Mr Corbyn, who led the party until April, was suspended after he refused to fully accept the watchdog’s findings and claimed anti- Semitism had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons”.

Len McCluskey, the boss of the Unite union, a major financial backer for Labour, warned the move was an “act of grave injustice” that could cause a split and doom the party to defeat.

Sir Keir said: “There is no reason for a civil war, there’s no reason to lean inwards, that is not what I want.

“I want to unite the party. That is the basis on which I ran my leadership campaign. I want to unite the party to stop the faction.”

He said Mr Corbyn and his team “knew exactly” that he would warn that any suggestion the issue had been exaggerated could lead to expulsion.

Sir Keir said: “I’m deeply disappointed in that response from Jeremy Corbyn yesterday, not least because I spoke to him the night before the report to set out how I intended to deal with it.”

But Mr Corbyn issued a statement regardless, accusing the media and his political opponents of having overstated the scale of the problem.

He said he did not accept all the commission’s findings after it concluded the party was responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination and having found evidence of political interference in the complaints process by then leader Mr Corbyn’s office.

Mr Corbyn said he would strongly contest the decision to suspend him pending an investigation, which also meant the Islington North MP had the Labour whip removed in Parliament.

Mr McCluskey, a key ally of the former leader, said the move was “an act of grave injustice which, if not reversed, will create chaos within the party and in doing so compromise Labour’s chances of a general election victory”.

He added: “A split party will be doomed to defeat.”

Yesterday Mr

McCluskey struck a more conciliatory tone, saying it was a “time for some calmness”.

Outside the union’s London headquarters, he said: “We need the party to be united. Working people out there need us, need a Labour government.

“So stay in the party and I’m hoping that we will be able to get through this fairly quickly to everybody’s satisfaction.”

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has described the suspension as “profoundly wrong” but said Sir Keir was right to say he did not want a civil war.

The equality commission’s report found three breaches of the Equality Act relating to political interference in complaints, failure to provide adequate training to those handling anti- Semitism cases and harassment.

The party must now draft an action plan to implement the report’s recommendations.

I want to unite the party – that was the basis of my campaign. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer speaking yesterday.