Ward appeals against Lib Dem suspension

FORMER MP David Ward has appealed against his suspension from the Liberal Democrats, urging the party to state that he is not antisemitic.

Mr Ward, who previously accused Jews of “inflicting atrocities on Palestinians”, was sacked as a general election candidate by the party in April, with his membership later suspended pending a disciplinary hearing.

He had intended to stand for the party in the Bradford East constituency where he lost his seat in 2015.

At the time Tim Farron, the then Lib Dem leader, said: “I believe in a politics that is open, tolerant and united. David Ward is unfit to represent the party and I have sacked him.”

Mr Ward submitted his appeal last week, saying that Mr Farron’s decision to remove him as a candidate was “unconstitutional and against any sense of natural justice”.

The former MP wrote: “In a letter from [Mr Farron] to a former party member and in public statements he has provided more details and specifically stated that I am antisemitic.

“To disprove this I can provide an extensive body of evidence, including previous comments made by Tim Farron but also legal opinions, an array of witnesses including many party members and representatives of Jewish groups with experience of supporting people falsely accused of antisemitism.”

Mr Ward said he had received no evidence from the Lib Dems that his comments had “damaged the party”, adding: “This vile slur has had distressing and damaging consequences for me and for my former local party.

“I would welcome a statement by the panel that I am not, in its view, antisemitic.”

He is backed in his appeal by Baroness Tonge, the former Lib Dem peer, who is a virulent critic of Israel.

Mr Ward stood as an independent in Bradford East in June’s general election, losing to Labour’s Imran Hussain.