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Eddie Izzard is taking a seat on Labour's National Executive Committee after Christine Shawcroft quit amid the anti-semitism row.

Ms Shawcroft, the Labour official at the centre of an anti-Semitism row, says she is stepping down from the party's ruling body.

Ms Shawcroft - who has already resigned as chairman of the disputes panel - has been under pressure to quit her post on the national executive committee (NEC) after it emerged she opposed the suspension of a council candidate accused of Holocaust denial.

In a statement, she said: "It has been a privilege to serve on the Labour Party national executive committee for the last 19 years, and I was standing down in September in any event. I have, however, decided to resign with immediate effect.

"It is clear that my continued membership of the NEC has become a distraction for the Party and an excuse for endless intrusive media harassment of myself, my family and friends.

(Image: Facebook) (Image: Victoria Stewart)

"I reaffirm my complete opposition to antisemitism and my abhorrence of Holocaust denial, and support all measures to tackle this within the Party.

"And I pledge my full energy to securing for our country the Labour government under Jeremy Corbyn that it so desperately needs."

Ms Shawcroft will be replaced on the National Executive Committee by comedian Eddie Izzard, the BBC reports.

(Image: Facebook)

(Image: Daily Mirror)

Mirror Online previously reported that Ms Shawcroft said she was "wrong and misguided" to have sent an email calling for a council candidate in Peterborough to have his suspension lifted.

Council candidate Alan Bull was suspended after a screenshot apparently showed he had shared an article on Facebook called: "International Red Cross Report Confirms the Holocaust of Six Million Jews is a Hoax."

Ms Shawcroft insisted had not been aware of all the information in the case.

(Image: Facebook)

She said: "I sent this email before being aware of the full information about this case and I had not been shown the image of his abhorrent Facebook post.

"Had I seen this image, I would not have requested that the decision to suspend him be re-considered.

"I am deeply sorry for having done so.

"This week we have seen a clear expression of the pain and hurt that has been caused to Jewish members of our party and the wider Jewish community by antisemitic abuse and language, and by the reality of antisemitism being denied and downplayed by others.

"In light of this, I have decided to stand down as Chair of the Disputes Panel to ensure my wrong and misguided questions on this case do not cause doubt or anxiety about our processes.

"We must eliminate antisemitism from our Party and wider society.

"To do this we must make sure our processes are as robust as possible and have the faith and confidence of our members."