Labour suspends second election candidate in simply 24 hours over Israel feedback
Labour has suspended a second election candidate in simply 24 hours after he allegedly referred to “f***ing Israel ” in a gathering with celebration activists.
The former MP and parliamentary candidate for Hyndburn Graham Jones additionally mentioned Brits who battle for Israel needs to be “locked up”, in line with a leaked recording. It is known Mr Jones was known as in for an interview on Tuesday night as Labour investigates the feedback from a gathering of activists in Lancashire.
According to the recording revealed by Guido Fawkes on Tuesday, Mr Jones was requested why there have been British folks within the “IDF” – the Israel Defence Forces.
Mr Jones replied: “This has been raised and I’m going to take this up. We have a simple rule in this country. Unless there is a military alliance between us and that particular country – NATO or individual one – you should not be fighting. No British person should be fighting for any other country, at all, full stop. It’s against the law and you should be locked up”.
The feedback had been allegedly made on the similar assembly that led to the withdrawal of help for Rochdale by-election candidate, Azhar Ali. Mr Ali had apologised after a leaked recording suggesting that Israel had taken the October 7 Hamas assault as a pretext to invade Gaza.
Despite first standing by Mr Ali amid intense criticism, the celebration then ditched him on Monday night “following new information about further comments”. It got here shortly earlier than the Daily Mail launched a recording of remarks Mr Ali made the place he lashed out at “people in the media from certain Jewish quarters”.
Today, Keir Starmer insisted he had made the “tough decision” to ditch the Rochdale candidate. The Labour chief mentioned: “I took decisive action. It is a huge thing to withdraw support for a Labour candidate during the course of a by-election, it’s a tough decision but a necessary decision.”
Asked if others who had been current on the October assembly the place Mr Ali made the remarks might face motion, he mentioned a “full investigation” would happen. Pressed on who he would advocate voters in Rochdale help within the upcoming by-election he mentioned: “Voters in Rochdale will have to determine who they vote for but I’m not prepared to put forward a Labour candidate unless I think that candidate is fit to be a Labour MP
The Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) said they were “happy that Labour has swiftly suspended Jones, pending additional motion”. Before his suspension, the organisation said the ex-MP’s comments were “appalling and unacceptable”. They added: “We are dismayed that Jones was not solely a bystander on the assembly the place Azhar Ali made his antisemitic feedback, however sought to inflame tensions additional.”
