Hatton’s back ... and causing trouble
LABOUR welcomed Derek Hatton back into the party even though he has questioned whether the antiSemitism crisis exists and backed former London mayor Ken Livingstone when he was suspended over his views on Israel.
News that the Militant Tendency firebrand had been readmitted to Labour after 34 years emerged on the day the first seven MPs walked out over Jeremy Corbyn’s attitude to anti-Semitism and Brexit.
Now it has been revealed he attacked Jewish MP Dame Margaret Hodge last year, claiming her criticism of the party leader was ‘nothing to do with anti-Semitism but all to do with trying to remove Corbyn’. He also backed Mr Livingstone after he claimed that Hitler was a Zionist, tweeting: ‘Where is the lie in what he said?’
Yesterday, Labour MPs lined up to attack the decision to let Mr Hatton back, 34 years after the former deputy leader of Liverpool council was expelled by Neil Kinnock.
Ian Austin sarcastically wrote: ‘Keen to address the Jewish community’s concerns and widespread worries that the Labour Party has been taken over by a sectarian hard-Left faction, the party yesterday readmitted Derek Hatton.’
But Mr Hatton told Radio 4’s Today: ‘It’s good to be back, in fact in a way I’ve never left. For 34 years I’ve stayed absolutely solid with the Labour Party. And, believe you me, during the Blair era, it wasn’t easy... That’s why when you look at those who have left, you think how pathetic is it to run away when there is something you disagree with?’