Members of Labour’s high command opposed recommendations to suspend several party activists accused of antisemitism, according to internal emails seen by the Observer.

The correspondence, dating from March to May last year, covers a period immediately after leader Jeremy Corbyn vowed to be a “militant opponent of antisemitism” and to have “zero tolerance for antisemites”.

How Labour has fought to gain control of the antisemitism issue Read more

It reveals that an official acting on behalf of general secretary Jennie Formby opposed recommendations from the party’s investigations team to suspend several members accused of antisemitic behaviour. In another case, Andrew Murray, a Corbyn adviser, argued for more lenient action to be taken against a member accused of defending an antisemitic mural.

Tom Watson, Labour deputy leader, last night said it showed that processes for dealing with “racism and abuse had failed”.

In a tweet he added: “If correct, this story suggests unacceptable political interference in dealing with antisemitism cases. I will be urgently consulting with colleagues before giving a fuller response.”

However, a party source said: “Seeking advice on cases was a hangover from the previous process, which Jennie Formby overhauled when she took up her post. Selecting a handful of cases from a year ago, under defunct processes, is seriously misleading.

“This is a deeply unfair attack on staff working in good faith to apply the party rule book to individual cases and get through the backlog of unresolved complaints Formby inherited.”

It has also been suggested that in some cases Murray and Formby’s official believed the recommended sanctions should be strengthened.

The revelations come as a long-running row over how Labour has handled antisemitism complaints erupted again this weekend. A stand-off has emerged between Formby and Watson. Formby accused Watson of “completely unacceptable” behaviour after he asked for antisemitism complaints to be forwarded to him. He defended the move by warning a lack of transparency had led to “a complete loss of trust”.

The row follows another over MP Chris Williamson, who was suspended last week for saying the party had been “too apologetic” about its response to antisemitism. The party’s initial response had been to investigate, but not suspend the Derby North MP. Williamson has said he is “absolutely determined” to clear his name.

Disagreements over Labour’s handling of antisemitism complaints also played a significant role in the recent decision by nine MPs to quit and is causing continuing divisions.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, on Saturday night tweeted: ‘If correct, this story suggests unacceptable political interference.’ Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

A Labour source said yesterday that the number of cases where disciplinary recommendations had not been followed was small and a highly selective sample. They said both Murray and the official acting for Formby were offering advice only, based on their interpretation of party rules. They said that during and soon after the period in question, Formby overhauled the process she inherited, to cut out the leader’s office and her team. In the emails seen by the Observer, the question raised by the cases is not whether the right decision was reached but over transparency and the process at the time.

In March, party staff recommended a member be suspended after being accused of denying that a notorious mural in east London was antisemitic and writing tweets linking Isis to Israel. In response, Murray called for an investigation without a suspension. He argued that the worst offences took place before the member joined the party and that disagreeing about the nature of the mural was not in itself antisemitic.

Murray said he now believed it had been a mistake not to agree to the suspension, but that an investigation did take place. “I was asked by party staff a year ago to give advice on 13 individual cases relating to alleged antisemitism, to assist in getting through the backlog,” he said. “In 12 of those I agreed with the view expressed by staff. The decisions remained with those staff, as my response (phrased as a question) in the one other case, of which you are aware, underlines.”

In May, staff recommended the suspension of Kayla Bibby, a member accused of posting a picture of an alien with the star of David printed on it, covering the face of the Statue of Liberty. Formby’s official instead suggested that she be given a “reminder of conduct” only, because the context of her other posts suggested she was anti-Israel, not anti-Jewish.

However, the official acknowledged there was “room for significant misinterpretation” of the image. Bibby has since been suspended and did not respond to a request for comment. She has previously said any speculation “would prejudice the outcome of any investigation”.

In April, Formby’s official opposed a recommendation to suspend a member who claimed that a Labour Jewish group had links to the Freemasons, instead backing an investigation with no suspension. That same month the official disagreed with a recommended suspension of a member who had used the term “zio”. He said the complaint referred to an incident for which the member had already been given a warning and instead ordered a further investigation.

Later that month a recommended investigation into a member who suggested that Labour contained “Zionist infiltrators” was disputed by the official, who said no action should be taken as it could not be proved the comment was made on the Facebook page of a Jewish Labour MP.

Play Video 0:41 Chris Williamson says Labour has been 'too apologetic' about antisemitism – video

In another April case, a recommendation to suspend a member who had already been given a warning was opposed by Formby’s official, who instead backed an investigation.

In each of the cases, Labour staff dropped their recommendation in favour of the action backed by the official or, in the mural case, Murray. The Observer has also seen cases in which the pair agreed with the recommendation from Labour staff.

The correspondence covers the first phase of Labour’s complaints procedure, when the party decides on a course of action following an initial examination of the complaint. At this point, the cases can be dropped, the member warned, or investigated further. Members can be suspended while further investigations are carried out. The Observer does not know the current status of the cases mentioned, other than that of Bibby.

A Labour spokesperson said: “Since becoming general secretary, Jennie Formby has made procedures for dealing with complaints about antisemitism more robust. Staff in the investigations team have always led on investigations and recommendations on individual cases. Any suggestion that staff in the leaders’ office opposed recommendations on individual cases is categorically untrue.”