Labour MPs back Margaret Hodge as she faces action over Jeremy Corbyn criticism
4 min read
Labour MPs have rallied around a Jewish colleague set to be disciplined for calling Jeremy Corbyn "an anti-Semitic racist".
Labour chiefs have said "action will be taken" against Margaret Hodge following her outburst in the House of Commons.
By contrast, four Labour MPs who saved Theresa May from a humiliating Commons defeat by voting with the Government on a key piece of Brexit legislation will not face any sanction.
The confrontation between Mrs Hodge and Mr Corbyn happened after Labour's National Executive Committee endorsed a controversial new code of conduct on anti-Jewish abuse.
According to HuffPost, the Barking MP told him: "You’re a f*****g anti-Semite and a racist. You have proved you don’t want people like me in the party."
The Labour leader responded: "I’m sorry you feel like that."
But a friend of Mrs Hodge, who lost relatives in the Holocaust, insisted she had not sworn at the Labour leader.
"She said 'you are an anti-Semitic racist'," said the friend. "When he protested, she said 'it is not what you say but what you do and by your actions you have shown you are an anti-Semitic racist'."
A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: "The rules of the Parliamentary Labour Party are quite clear, that colleagues have to treat each other with respect and not bring the party into disrepute and that is why action will be taken."
That prompted a host of Labour MPs to take to Twitter to vent their anger at the move.
Former Labour leadership contender David Miliband, who quit the Commons and now runs a charity in New York, also made clear his unhappiness.
The row once again highlighted the tensions within the Labour party on the issue of anti-Semitism.
On Monday evening, Labour MPs backed a motion calling on the party's NEC to back the IHRA guidelines on the issue.
At a heated meeting on Tuesday, the ruling body decided to uphold general secretary Jennie Formby's decision to introduce a new code of conduct which stops short of fully endorsing that definition.
However, they did agree to hold a consultation on the issue with Jewish groups.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
