Diane Abbott, the shadow international development secretary, has dismissed allegations of a widespread antisemitism problem within the Labour Party, calling them a “smear” against ordinary members. Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, she suggested that the issue was procedural rather than cultural, noting that every one of the 12 antisemitism claims had resulted in a suspension.
Her comments come amid renewed pressure on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to take a tougher stance on antisemitism. Earlier, Corbyn suspended former London mayor Ken Livingstone for remarks appearing to claim Adolf Hitler supported Zionism. Livingstone has refused to apologise, blaming the row on “embittered old Blairite MPs” seeking to destabilise Corbyn’s leadership.
Abbott implied that Labour’s rules on racism were insufficient, stating: “There is nothing in the rules about racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia. We are going to make the rules explicit.” Corbyn later reaffirmed his commitment to tackling all forms of racism at a May Day rally in London.
However, Labour donor Michael Foster, who gave £400,000 before the last general election, said some in the leadership “vilify Jews as part of their political shtick”. He called for the independent inquiry led by Shami Chakrabarti to be widened. Labour MP Louise Ellman described the party’s response as “much too slow”, while Ben Bradshaw likened Livingstone to a Conservative spy. Unite union leader Len McCluskey criticised Livingstone but accused opponents of cynically manipulating the issue to attack Corbyn’s leadership.
