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A Tory minister has deleted a tweet suggesting Labour suspended an MP because he's a "Jewish Blairite".

Greg Hands backtracked after making the remark about Ivan Lewis, who Labour suspended today over sexual harassment claims.

The trade minister had appeared to suggest Labour was guilty of double standards after suspending Mr Lewis, but not fellow MP Emma Dent Coad.

Ms Dent Coad came under fire for describing Tory Shaun Bailey as a "token ghetto boy". She later stressed she was quoting a constituent and apologised "if [Mr Bailey] was offended".

Tory minister Mr Hands tweeted: "Tough action from Labour leadership against Jewish Blairite Ivan Lewis.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

"But just ‘a chat’ for hate-filled ‘Ghetto Boy’ rhetoric of Kensington Corbynista Emma Dent Coad’."

The tweet was criticised by Jack Mendel, a journalist for the Jewish News.

He called for Mr Hands to apologise, tweeting: "Not only does it imply labour suspended Ivan Lewis because he’s a Jew (no evidence), but it also unhelpfully politicises being Jewish in a way most Jews really don’t want.

"Like we have enough issues as it is, thanks."

A Labour source said: "Greg Hands knows nothing about either case and should be ashamed of this innuendo."

Mr Hands later deleted his tweet, writing: "Last tweet was carelessly worded. Not meant to cause offence."

Mr Lewis, who was International Development minister under Gordon Brown, last month denied sexually harassing a 19-year-old girl, but accepted his behaviour to female colleagues had been “unwelcome”.

He made the denial in a statement after a woman reportedly alleged he repeatedly touched her leg and invited her back to his house in 2010, when she was 19.

Lewis denied that he ever made “non consensual sexual comments or sexual advances to women”, and it is not clear exactly what allegations led to his suspension.

A Labour party spokesman said: “The Labour Party takes all allegations of sexual harassment extremely seriously. Ivan Lewis is currently suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation.”