Jewish groups 'will demand Ken Livingstone expulsion' when they meet Jeremy Corbyn

Emilio Casalicchio

Jewish leaders will demand Ken Livingstone is kicked out of Labour for good when they meet with Jeremy Corbyn in the wake of the latest anti-Semitism row in the party, it has been reported.



The bosses of key groups will judge the success of their head-to-head with the Labour leader on whether he is prepared to act against his old ally, according to the Daily Telegraph.

It emerged yesterday that the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Jewish Leadership Council had agreed to meet Mr Corbyn - although no date has been set.

New Labour general secretary Jennie Formby is also expected to attend, after Mr Corbyn said tackling anti-Semitism in the party will be her top priority.

According to the Telegraph, the future of the ex-London mayor - who was suspended two years ago for suggesting Hitler supported Zionism during the 1930s - will be a crucial aspect of the meeting.

“Expelling Ken Livingstone will be a key component of all the things they will be raising,” a source said.

“We’ve heard words again and again, what we need to see is action. Finally ridding the party of Ken Livingstone will form part of that.”

On Tuesday Mr Corbyn told the groups he would meet them “without any preconditions”, and added: “I place no limitations on the points you would wish to raise.”

But according to the Daily Mail the Labour leader is lining up Islington councillor Claudia Webbe to take over as chair of the party disputes panel.

Such a move would be controversial, after Ms Webbe defended Mr Livingstone in 2005 when he was suspended from Labour for comparing a Jewish reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard.

The disputes role became vacant after Christine Shawcroft was forced to quit for defending a council candidate who shared an article saying the Holocaust was a hoax.

The latest anti-Semitism row exploded after it emerged Mr Corbyn defended an anti-Semitic mural on Facebook in 2012.

It was further fuelled on Tuesday when it emerged Mr Corbyn attended the Seder event of hard-left Jewish group Jewdas, which has called for the destruction of Israel.