Labour MPs and peers urge Jeremy Corbyn to suspend Christine Shawcroft from Labour party
3 min read
More than 40 Labour MPs and peers have written to Jeremy Corbyn urging him to suspend Christine Shawcroft from Labour over her defence of a candidate who posted an article claiming the Holocaust was a hoax.
Three shadow ministers - Jonathan Reynolds, Mike Kane and Lord Hunt - are among those who have signed a letter to the Labour leader saying it is "utterly wrong" for her to still be a member of the party's ruling National Executive Committee.
The letter was organised by Siobhan McDonagh MP, and other signatories include Ian Austin, Luciana Berger, Ruth Smeeth, Jim Fitzpatrick, Liz Kendall and Lord Foulkes. In all, 41 Labour parliamentarians have put their names to it.
Ms Shawcroft, who is also a director of Momentum, was forced to stand down as chair of Labour's disputes panel over an email she sent on Sunday evening defending Alan Bull, a former party candidate suspended over anti-Semitism allegations.
Mr Bull shared an article on Facebook which claimed the Holocaust was a “hoax” - but insisted he reposted it to spark debate and did not agree with its content.
In her email, which was leaked to The Times, Ms Shawcroft suggested rival Labour activists wanted to damage Mr Bull for "political reasons" and that his post had been "taken completely out of context and alleged to show anti-Semitism".
But in a statement after her comments were revealed, she insisted she "had not been shown the image" before sending the email.
"Had I seen this image, I would not have requested that the decision to suspend him be re-considered.," Ms Shawcroft said. "I am deeply sorry for having done so."
Senior Labour sources have insisted that as Ms Shawcroft was elected to the NEC, Mr Corbyn did not have the power to remove her.
In their letter to Mr Corbyn, the 41 MPs and peers say: "We are deeply concerned that Christine Shawcroft remains a member of the National Executive Committee.
"It is utterly wrong that somebody who defends a Labour candidate who has been suspended for Holocaust denial should be a member of Labour’s governing body.
"This is highly offensive to the Jewish community and all those of us who wish to see the scourge of anti-Semitism eradicated.
"We urge you to suspend Christine Shawcroft from the Labour party immediately, thus ensuring she is removed from the NEC.
"You pledged this week to be an ally in the fight against anti-Semitism. This action would represent an initial step in honouring that commitment."
Mr Corbyn was plunged in a fresh anti-Semitism row last week over a Facebook comment he made in 2012, protesting at the removal of a mural depicting old Jewish men playing Monopoly on the backs of emaciated bodies.
That prompted the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council to organise a demonstration outside parliament protesting at Mr Corbyn's handling of the anti-Semitism rows which have dogged the party in recent years.
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