MP backs activist who called hate an anti-Corbyn ‘smear’

VA LABOUR SHADOW minister has urged members of her local party to back an activist who accused the “Israeli diplomatic service” of being behind an antisemitism “smear campaign” against Jeremy Corbyn.

West Ham MP Lyn Brown, the Shadow Minister for Prisons and Probation, emailed her local party to support for Roger Silverman — a member of the fringe Jewish Voice for Labour organisation — as their candidate in the National Executive Committee (NEC) elections.

Mr Silverman once wrote: “The charge that the Labour Party and specifically Jeremy Corbyn are soft on antisemitism is outrageous… I wouldn’t blame the Israeli diplomatic service for promoting such accusations; it is their job to use every means at their disposal to avoid the election of a… government sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. In this case the smear campaign has been taken up by the British establishment.”

Ms Brown wrote to West

Ham CLP on September 15 saying: “I’m sure it will not have escaped your attentiontherearetwocandidatesfortheNEC from here in Newham.” One of these inlcuded Mr Silverman. She continued: “Ipassionatelybelieveinabroad-church party and hope these comrades won’t mindmepointingouttheircandidacies encapsulate that truth”, adding: “I am hopeful that this week’s GC will nominate our boys (!).” Mr Silverman was suspended by Labour in 2016 in a probe that looked into his involvement with the far-left Militant organisation, but wasreinstatedunder Mr Corbyn. A spokesperson for Ms Brown said: “Lyn was not aware of any complaints about Roger Silverman and wrote the email in an inclusive way to support members of her local party. She would never support anyone who holds antisemitic views.”

Silverman was suspended in 2016 but reinstated under Corbyn