Unite has hit back at a claim that Labour general secretary candidate Jennie Formby “acted with antisemitic intent”, calling the allegation a “malicious smear”.

Labour Against Antisemitism (LAAS) released a statement this afternoon alleging that Formby was ousted from Unite as political director due to “antisemitic comments” over Baroness Royall’s suitability to conduct an NEC inquiry.

In 2016, Baroness Royall investigated members of the Oxford University Labour Club and found that they engaged in antisemitic activity.

LAAS claims that Formby said Baroness Royall’s membership of Labour Friends of Israel made her unsuitable for the role and that the Unite regional secretary tried to stop the Labour peer heading the investigation.

LAAS alleges that Formby “acted with antisemitic intent” by “reportedly seeking to prevent an investigation by Baroness Royall”.

Unite has hit back at the statement calling it a “malicious smear”. The union says Formby was not “never under any pressure” to step down as Unite political director.

“At that NEC discussion, Jennie Formby voted for Ms Jan Royall’s appointment, and argued for her inquiry to be properly resourced by the Party,” says Unite.

Earlier this week Formby announced her candidacy for the post of general secretary of the Labour Party. Momentum’s Jon Lansman today also declared that he will apply for the role.