A second Labour candidate has been suspended over remarks made about the Middle East
Graham Jones, the former MP and candidate for Hyndburn, was recorded claiming Britons who volunteer to fight for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) should be “locked up”. He was also heard referring to “f***ing Israel” at the meeting in Lancashire last year when Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali made his comments
Earlier in the day The Jewish Labour Movement called for Graham Jones to stand down as a parliamentary candidate in the next general election
Meanwhile Sir Kier Starmer defended his actions over Rochdale
Speaking in Wellingborough, where a by-election will be held on Thursday, Starmer said: “Certain information came to light over the weekend in relation to the candidate. There was a fulsome apology.
“Further information came to light yesterday calling for decisive action, so I took decisive action.”
Mish Rahman, a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee and on the left of the party, said:
“It was obvious that the position the party held over the weekend was untenable.
“But instead they raised these electoral technicalities to defend their position. It makes their zero-tolerance policy weak: zero-tolerance for some and conditional for those in the leadership faction.”
