Labour peer urges leadership to make it ‘absolutely clear’ it will not tolerate antisemitic views

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Lord Levy, Labour’s former chief fundraiser under Tony Blair, has warned he could quit the party if it does not do more to confront antisemitism.

The Labour peer made the comments amid a row over whether the party had done enough to weed out people who had expressed antisemitic views.

The party has had to take action in recent weeks to re-suspend a former parliamentary candidate, Vicki Kirby, who had made comments about Jews’ “big noses”; expel Gerry Downing, a Labour activist, who had spoken of the need to “address the Jewish question”; and launch an investigation into claims of antisemitism in its youth movement.

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has repeatedly stressed that there is no place in the party for antisemitism.

But Levy told Sky News’ Murnaghan programme that: “Antisemitism in any political party cannot be tolerated and it is for the leadership to make that absolutely clear.

“If they don’t make that clear than I will start to question myself and actually question my being a Labour peer.”

He said he was shocked and horrified by comments that led two activists to face disciplinary action, but added: “It is now up to leadership to make sure that there is a clear and unequivocal message out there that antisemitism in any form will not be tolerated within the Labour party.

“The leadership must come out with that message in absolutely a specific way because from my perspective – being a member of this party – that is of paramount importance to me.”

He continued: “I think one needs to look historically at the Labour party. When I was deeply involved under Tony Blair, this was a party that was very trusted and very loved by the Jewish community and that continued under Gordon Brown and it was certainly the case in the Harold Wilson era.”

A Labour party official said: “Jeremy Corbyn condemns all forms of racism, including antisemitism.”