A hard-Left ally of shadow chancellor John McDonnell was today expelled from the Labour Party over anti-Semitic behaviour.

Jackie Walker was thrown out today after a two-day disciplinary hearing in London.

Miss Walker was suspended in 2016 and then let back into the party despite claiming that Jews were chief financiers of the slave trade.

She was suspended a second time later that year for questioning the need for security at Jewish schools and saying that Holocaust Memorial Day was too limited in scope. She was also removed from her position as vice-chairman of Momentum.

Her expulsion comes as party leader Jeremy Corbyn struggles to rid the party of allegations of institutional anti-Semitism.

The ongoing row sparked the decision by several Jewish MPs including Luciana Berger and Joan Ryan to quit the party in February

Labour said Ms Walker had been expelled after a disciplinary panel ruled 'the charges of breaches of Party rules ... have been proven'. She previously sat on the Labour Representation Committee, along with shadow chancellor John McDonnell

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured today) has struggled to distance Labour from accusations of institutionalised anti-Semitism in recent months

Joe Glasman, head of political and government investigations at the Campaign Against Antisemitism, attacked the time taken to expel Ms Walker

'It comes as no surprise that the institutionally antisemitic Labour Party waited almost three years to finally expel Jackie Walker,' he said.

'During those three years she has toured the nation, openly supported by leading Labour MPs, claiming that the case against her was trumped up.

'It is because Labour has shown itself to be incapable of addressing antisemitism cases in a fair, transparent and timely manner that Campaign Against Antisemitism brought in the Equality and Human Right's Commission to take charge.

'Labour's decision to finally act now that the Commission is at the gate, is not a sign of change, but merely an act of naked self-preservation by a political party being brought face-to-face with its own racism.'

Jewish MPs including Luciana Berger quit Labour last month with a blistering attack on the party over its failure to deal with anti-Semitism

Mr McDonnell is a longstanding friend of Miss Walker, and both sit on the hard-Left Labour Representation Committee.

Last month he was recorded saying he would ‘take up’ her case with the leadership, although it is thought he never did so.

Labour backbenchers said before the hearing that party must ensure she is expelled if it is to have any chance of proving it is not institutionally anti-Semitic.

Dame Margaret Hodge today welcomed the expulsion but added: 'It should not have taken well over two years for the party to get here.

'This is not what an efficient or effective complaints system looks like.'

The Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) said the delay meant Ms Walker had been 'free to make a mockery of the Party's processes because she was a political ally of the leadership, NEC members and had support from MPs'.

A spokesman added: 'Our members will be expected to be grateful. Instead they'll be angry it took so long, and angry that many people will want to say this is "job done" on anti-Semitism in the party.'

The Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) said the delay meant Ms Walker had been 'free to make a mockery of the Party's processes because she was a political ally of the leadership'

Jewish Labour MP Margaret Hodge criticised the delay in taking official action against Ms Walker

In a statement issued by the fringe Labour Against the Witchhunt group with backs Ms Walker and other MPs facing action over alleged anti-Semitism she said she had 'withdrawn' from the hearing on Tuesday.

She said: 'After almost three years of racist abuse and serious threats; of almost three years of being demonised, and now being ambushed by a batch of last minute changes, I was astounded that the Labour Party refused to allow me a few short moments to personally address the disciplinary panel to speak in my own defence.

'What is so dangerous about my voice that it is not allowed to be heard?'

'All I have ever asked for is for equal treatment, due process and natural justice; it seems that this is too much to ask of the Labour Party.'

A Labour spokesman today said: 'The National Constitutional Committee has found that the charges of breaches of Party rules by Jackie Walker have been proven.

The National Constitutional Committee consequently determined that the sanction for this breach of the rules is expulsion from Labour Party membership.'