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Derek Hatton, the former Deputy Leader of Liverpool City Council, was suspended by the Labour Party just 48 hours after his readmission had been confirmed because of a tweet sent in 2012.

The ECHO broke the news of the suspension last night - and it has now been revealed what was said in the tweet in question.

Mr Hatton - who remains a controversial figure in Liverpool and around the country - confirmed he had received notice of his suspension pending an investigation by Labour.

And a Labour Party source confirmed that a suspension had been put in place until a decision is made by the ruling NEC.

The tweet in question - which has now been deleted - was sent from Mr Hatton's account on November 18 2012.

It stated: "Jewish people with any sense of humanity need to start speaking out publicly against the ruthless murdering being carried out by Israel."

The tweet - and Mr Hatton's readmission in general - prompted formal complaints from high ranking Labour figures like Barry Gardiner and Tom Watson.

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But Labour said it had become aware of what was said before those interventions and had decided to act.

Explaing the run of events, a source said: "Derek Hatton was given provisional membership, pending NEC approval. The Party was not aware of this material. Once this was brought to our attention he was suspended pending the NEC’s decision.

"Under Labour’s processes when a panel agrees to readmit someone, that person is a provisional member pending NEC approval, which is the final stage of the process. Once the material came to light, Mr Hatton‘s provisional membership was suspended, pending that decision by the NEC."

Mr Hatton, 71, rose to prominence after setting an illegal council budget which caused havoc in Liverpool during the height of Thatcherism.

He was expelled from the Labour Party in 1986 for being a member of Militant Tendency, a Trotskyist entryist group which breached the party's constitution.

Mr Hatton confirmed on Monday he had been readmitted to the party, on the same day that seven Labour MPs resigned to join a new Independent Party, including Wavertree MP Luciana Berger who said she quit because of anti semitism within the party's ranks and the Labour leadership's perceived inaction in dealing with it.

Mr Hatton wasted no time in condemning those former members, saying on Monday "For them to leave now is at best hypocritical and at worst dishonest.

"All seven of them increased their majorities standing on a Jeremy Corbyn manifesto."

He has so far declined to comment on the suspension.