UK Labour chief faces revolt over anti-Semitism scandals
May 1, 2016Less than a year after becoming leader of the UK Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn is already facing calls for his ouster.
The head of the UK’s second largest party has been severely criticized for his handling of a whole litany of anti-Semitic scandals within Labour, leading some to suggest that Corbyn, known for his far-left political views, is soft on anti-Semitism.
Last week Corbyn defended a Labour MP who had previously advocated the ethnic cleansing of Israel, initially refusing to suspend Naz Shah from Bradford West. A spokesman for Corbyn denied claims that Shah was anti-Semitic, claiming that she had written “remarks that she doesn’t agree with.”
Nor did Corbyn endorse Shah’s suspension even after it was finalized. Instead the Labour leader merely acknowledged the fact that that the party’s General Secretary, Ian McNicol, had placed Shah on administrative suspension.
“Jeremy Corbyn and Naz Shah have mutually agreed that she is administratively suspended from the Labour Party by the General Secretary”, a joint statement issued by the two read.
Labour members worried over the party’s election prospects were aghast when former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, a long-time Labour member and Corbyn ally, backed Shah during an interview on Thursday. Livingstone also claimed that Adolf Hitler “supported Zionism”, a comment which led to angry, on-air confrontations with other Labour members.
One of Livingstone’s detractors, MP John Mann, derided him as “a disgusting Nazi apologist”.
With the UK’s local elections just four days away, fears are mounting among party leaders that Labour could suffer catastrophic losses on Thursday and even lose the London mayoral election, which the party was long favored to win.
Labour MPs and shadow cabinet members have pinned much of the party’s recent woes on Corbyn and his mishandling of the recent anti-Semitism scandals. According to reports published in The Telegraph, talks of a possible revolt are underway, with senior party officials looking to replace the controversial Corbyn with a moderate figure who can rebuild the party’s image.
Corbyn himself acknowledged that his leadership would likely be challenged in the near future, saying that “we will have an election” should party leaders indeed seek his removal.
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