Labour Party set to investigate after ‘patently vile’ Islamophobia remarks are attributed a party official
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has promised an investigation into comments attributed to a party official after they were criticised as "patently vile" Islamophobia.
Her vow yesterday came after the individual reportedly linked the party "haemorrhaging votes among Muslim voters" with leader Sir Keir Starmer's efforts to combat anti-semitism.
The implication of the claim ahead of the Batley and Spen by-election was that Muslims are abandoning the party because they are supposedly against fighting anti-jewish racism.
The Labour Muslim Network said "this is a patently vile, Islamophobic briefing".
"This racism needs to be challenged urgently and publicly by the Labour leadership and the party as a whole," a statement added.
The Mail on Sunday had quoted the "senior Labour official" as saying: "We're haemorrhaging votes among Muslim voters.
"And the reason for that is what Keir has been doing on
anti-semitism. Nobody really wants to talk about it, but that's the main factor. He challenged (former leader Jeremy) Corbyn on it, and there's been a backlash among certain sections of the community."
Ms Rayner said: "As deputy leader I want to make clear publicly that these comments that are being attributed to a member of Labour Party staff in a newspaper today are not a Labour Party response or statement, are completely unacceptable and are not condoned or sanctioned in any way by the party.
"I will be ensuring that the party investigates this reported comment in line with our party's rules and processes. Anybody who has made these comments should and will be dealt with in line with our independent disciplinary procedures, which I have no role in as deputy leader."
The investigation came as concerns grew over Labour's prospects in the July 1 by-election in Batley and Spen, the former seat of Jo Cox where she was murdered in 2016.
A new poll put her sister, Kim Leadbeater, on course to lose the heartlands constituency in Yorkshire to the Conservatives. The Tories were on 47 per cent - up 11 per cent from the 2019 general election - while Labour was on 43 per cent.