Mcdonnell group backs MP suspended over anti-semitism

A CAMPAIGN group headed by John Mcdonnell has defended an MP suspended from Labour in a row over antisemitism, suggesting he had been unfairly targeted by “Blairites and their appeasers”.

The shadow chancellor was last night urged to break off ties with the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), after it published an incendiary statement in support of Chris Williamson, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn.

Published on its website, the statement claimed there had not been a “single shred of evidence” to justify the “vile slurs” directed at the Derby North MP. The statement, written by activist Jay Blackwood, added that “no amount of appeasement” would satisfy critics of Mr Williamson, who was placed under investigation by Labour after he was filmed claiming the party had been “too apologetic” about anti-semitism.

It continued: “The anti-semitism ‘issue’ is just a useful weapon in their campaign to undermine Corbyn’s newly radicalised party. We cannot continue to play along with the fiction that anti-semitism is a major problem inside the Labour Party.”

A spokesman for Mr Mcdonnell refused to say whether he agreed with the statement, adding: “John has no day-to-day involvement in the operation of the LRC and is not responsible for its website.” Last night, Labour’s Wes Streeting, the deputy chairman of the parliamentary group against antisemitism, said: “Silence is complicity.”

The Labour Party has been accused of vengeful action against an MP who resigned last week to form the Independent Group. Steve Wilson, the husband of Angela Smith MP, faced a stand-off with activists over his reselection as a councillor. Yesterday, he announced he was quitting the party.