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Ken Livingstone today faced calls for him to be expelled from Labour after he plunged the party into a new anti-Semitism row.

The former Mayor of London - who was today suspended by the Party - spoke of a “well-orchestrated campaign” by “the Israel lobby” in comments that immediately provoked a wave of criticism.

He said Adolf Hitler was “supporting Zionism” before he “went mad and ended up killing six million Jews”.

Labour’s current mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan led calls for him to be kicked out of the party.

Ken Livingstone was later confronted by a furious John Mann, Labour MP for Bassetlaw.

Mr Khan tweeted: “Ken Livingstone’s comments are appalling and inexcusable. There must be no place for this in our party.”

Mr Livingstone deepened the crisis by telling the Evening Standard later that he stood by his comments. He said defiantly: “What’s wrong with the remarks I made? Is it insensitive to look at history?”

But his remarks caused outrage among MPs and heaped embarrassment on party leader Jeremy Corbyn — already on the rack for failing to crack down on perceived anti-Semitism in Labour’s ranks.

The row comes less than 24 hours after Labour MP Naz Shah was suspended over offensive social media posts.

Mr Livingstone told BBC Radio London he had never heard anyone in the party say anything anti-Semitic. Then he went on: “Let’s remember, when Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel.

"He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.

“There has been a very well-orchestrated campaign by the Israel lobby to smear anybody who criticises Israeli policy as anti-Semitic.

“I had to put up with 35 years of this, being denounced because back in 1981 we were campaigning to say the Labour Party should recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation.”

Labour MP Jess Phillips immediately tweeted that Mr Livingstone “must be suspended from the Labour Party”.

Ex-frontbencher John Woodcock said: “Ken Livingstone must be suspended for this. He must actively be seeking suspension and notoriety with these remarks.

"Well said Sadiq. Livingstone chairs Labour’s international policy commission. This cannot go on.”

Labour MP John Mann reportedly told Mr Livingstone: “You are a f***ing disgrace.” Frontbencher Chris Bryant said in the Commons: “Anti-Semitism is wrong. And yes I am talking to you Ken Livingstone.”

MP Wes Streeting, who wants the party to take action to stamp out anti-Semitic behaviour, said: “Ken Livingstone has form on anti-Semitism and has been tolerated for far too long. He should be suspended immediately.

“Decent Labour members need to decide how to respond to anti-Semitism within our ranks. Silence is complicity. We must all speak out.”

Ex-frontbencher Stella Creasy tweeted: “Not in my name #kenlivingstone — he should be suspended immediately without equivocation. Our #labourfamily has no place for such bigotry.”

A top UK Jewish figure today accu- sed Mr Corbyn of lacking the will to tackle “Labour’s anti-Semitic demons”.

President of the Board of Deputies Jonathan Arkush told the Standard: “If a Labour MP was to propose, say, the transportation of black people back to Africa for example, I just can’t imagine the shock, the outrage, if that person was allowed to remain in the party a split second.

The full exchange Vanessa Feltz: “You will have seen yourself written about in the Telegraph today. It says others are furious about the conduct of Mr Corbyn’s friend and allie Ken Livingstone who said Naz Shah’s comments were not anti-semitic. Now she’s profusely apologised for them, said she made a mistake. If she has apologised for them, presumably she acknowledges that they were anti-semitic. Do you still maintain they were not?” Ken Livingstone: “She’s a deep critic of Israel and its policies and her remarks were over the top but she’s not anti-semitic. I’ve been in the Labour Party for 47 years and I have never heard anyone say anything anti-semitic. I have heard a lot of criticism of the state of Israel but I have never heard someone be anti-semitic.” VF: “She talked about relocating Israel to America, she talked about what Hitler did being legal and she talked about the Jews rallying, and she used the word Jews not Israelis or Israel. You didn’t find that to be anti-semitic?” KL: “It’s completely over the top. It’s not anti-semitic. Let’s remember when Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews. But the simple fact in all of this is that Naz made those comments at a time when there is brutal Israeli attack on the Palestinians and there is one stark fact that no one in the British media ever reports. In almost all these conflicts, the death toll is usually between 60 to 100 Palestians killed for every Israeli. Any other country doing that would be accused of war crimes but it is like we have a double standard about the policy of the Israeli Government.” VF: “Some people will say that there is a double standard operating in the Labour Party and what’s really a flagrant kind of anti-semitism, a deeply embedded systemic anti-semitism, is hidden behind a mask of anti-zionism or criticism of Israeli foreign policy, but that’s not what it really is. Its really as John Rentoul said, using a phrase that I would hesitate to use but he used this morning. He said: “There are Jew haters, long-term Jew haters and they can use criticism of Israel as a cloak behind which to mask that sentiment.” KL: “There has been a very well orchestrated campaign by the Israel Lobby to smear anybody who criticises Israeli policy as anti-Semitic. “I had to put up with 35 years of this, being denounced because back in 1981 we were campaigning to say the Labour Party should recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation.” VF: “What do you think over the top really means? When I say was it anti-semitic and you say no it wasn’t categorically no, anyone who says it was is a liar but it was over the top, over the top of what?” KL: “If you think of anti-semitism and racism as exactly the same thing and criticising e.g the government of South Africa, which is pretty unpleasant and corrupt, it doesn’t make me a racist and it doesn’t make me anti-semitic.”

“It reinforces the regrettable impression and perception that the leader of the party somehow seems to lack the political will to face up to the anti-Semitic demons in the party.”

Mr Khan’s spokesman confirmed the mayoral candidate felt Mr Livingstone should be forced out of the party, though due process should be followed.

Mr Livingstone was thrown out of the party in 2000 for standing as an independent against official mayoral candidate Frank Dobson. He won his first term by a landslide and was allowed to rejoin in time to stand for re-election.

But Team Khan pointedly excluded the former Mayor from being involved in their campaign because they viewed him as “a liability”. Labour peer Lord Levy, a former fund-raiser for the party, has said it has a “serious problem” with anti-Semitism.

Labour put out a statement last night saying “Jeremy Corbyn and Naz Shah have mutually agreed that she is administratively suspended”.

While Mr Arkush said suspension was right, he added that Mr Corbyn needed to be more pro-active in rooting out broader anti-Semitism. He said: “I am waiting for any clear steer, any lead, any statesmanlike, measured approach to be forthcoming from the leader.

“Why, the Jewish community is asking, does this seem to be so difficult? Why on earth is it taking so long?”

Mr Corbyn’s spokesman has emphasised that the leader has consistently condemned anti-Semitism and all forms of racism.

Meanwhile, Ms Shah told MPs: “The words that I used caused upset and hurt to the Jewish community and I deeply regret that. Anti-Semitism is racism, full stop.”

But it failed to kill the row, with Lord Levy saying: “The lack of sensitivity when an MP talks about transportation of the largest Jewish community in the world...it just shows such ignorance.”

He added that it had “taken too long” for the leadership to act and that Mr Corbyn’s team had “dithered”.