Jared O'Mara reinstated by Labour after being let off with a warning over sexist and homophobic comments
3 min read
An MP who was suspended by Labour over offensive comments he made about women is set to be readmitted to the party after being given a formal warning about his behaviour.
Jared O'Mara had the Labour whip removed in October last year after it emerged he had posted a string of misogynistic, racist and homophobic remarks on internet message boards when he was in his 20s.
The Sheffield Hallam MP, who defeated Nick Clegg at last year's general election, was also accused of calling a barmaid an "ugly bitch" - a claim he denies.
An investigation into his behaviour was finally concluded today by Labour's disciplinary committee.
A party source said Mr O’Mara would have to undertake mandatory training but that his suspension would be lifted, allowing him to return to the Parliamentary Labour Party.
"The disputes panel has ruled on the balance of the evidence that a formal warning should be issued and a mandatory requirement to attend training," the source tol The Guardian.
It was revealed last year that Mr O'Mara - who is yet to make his maiden speech in the Commons - made a series of crude comments about women in a music review written in 2009.
On music site Drowned In Sound, he made a lewd remark about the actress Angelina Jolie, referred to female concert goers as “sexy little slags” and invited members of pop group Girls Aloud for an “orgy”.
He also said children in his area were more interested in “anti-social behaviour and crack rocks” than watching children's TV personalities Dick and Dom.
Mr O'Mara also referred to gay men as "poofters" and "fudge packers" and said jazz musician Jamie Cullum was a "conceited c**t" who should be "sodomised with his own piano".
In the wake of the allegations, Mr O’Mara was booted off the Equalities and Human Rights Select Committee.
Last year he apologised for the remarks, but said they were made when he was a "young man, at a particularly difficult time of my life".
He said he had since been on "a journey" and did not hold the views he did in his early 20s.
His is one of more than 70 disciplinary cases to be considered by the Labour disputes panel today.
CLAUDIA WEBBE
Meanwhile, campaigners have reacted with concern after a Labour councillor and close ally of Jeremy Corbyn was elected chair of the party's disputes panel.
Claudia Webbe replaces Christine Shawcroft, who quit the post in April over claims she defended a Holocaust denier.
Ms Webbe is a controversial figure because she once defended Ken Livingstone after he accused a Jewish journalist of behaving like a Nazi concentration camp guard.
Jennifer Gerber, director of Labour Friends of Israel, said: "It is unfortunate that Labour has chosen someone who previously defended Ken Livingstone to chair its disputes panel. She will need to show better judgement in the future than she has in the past."
And Richard Angell of the Progress group said: "Claudia’s chairing of Labour party conference allowed anti-Semitism tropes to be uttered unchallenged at last year’s event in Brighton. Her chairing of the Disputes Committee will need to be remarkably different for this appointment to give the Jewish community the confidence it needs in Labour. This feels like a step backwards."
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