A Labour councillor is facing disciplinary action after tweeting that allegations of anti-Semitism in his party are a plot by Jewish Tories.

Mike Pevitt, who represents Claremont ward in Salford, posted on social media in response to a letter signed by rabbis from across the country criticising Labour over anti-Semitism.

He tweeted: “Nobody bats an eyelid about 350 mosques writing to the Tories about Islamophobia, but Labour get lead in polls and Tories instruct their Jewish members to write in.”

Councillor Pevitt, is chief whip of the Labour group on Salford council and his actions prompted an emergency meeting of the executive of the Labour group.

Now he has apologised for the tweet - which was later deleted - and quit as chief whip.

In a statement Coun Pevitt said: “I unreservedly apologise for my tweet, which I have deleted. I do not in any way believe that the open letter from the 68 Rabbis to Labour was co-ordinated by the Conservative Party, nor that any significant number of British Rabbis are members of the Conservative Party or driven by factional political motivations on this matter.

“I have written a statement that I did not mean, and believe even less, and I am truly sorry for any offence I have caused. I have offered my resignation as Chief Whip of the Labour Group to the Labour Group Executive this morning, and I have also referred myself to the party region for disciplinary action.”

One Salford Labour councillor said: “In the current climate he’s had it. Especially being chief whip. All hell is being let loose. The Tories will demand action is taken too.”

Councillor Pevitt’s tweet comes as the Labour Party nationally is consumed by allegations of anti-Semitism.

Leader Jeremy Corbyn has apologised over an event he hosted in 2010 where a Holocaust survivor compared Israel to Nazism.

Councillor Pevitt stood for election in the normally safe Labour seat on Kersal at a by-election in March last year.

But in a shock result Rabbi Arnold Saunders snatched the seat for the Tories from Labour with a 21 per cent swing.

Rabbi Saunders took 850 votes, boasting a majority of 297. Mr Pevitt came second with 553 votes.

In his second attempt in six months to become a councillor, Mr Pevitt was elected in October in another by-election in Claremont.

He secured Claremont with 718 votes, benefiting from a woeful turnout of just 18.53 per cent.

Salford’s Labour group lost another seat to the Tories, however, in Kersal in May’s local elections - again to a Jewish candidate.

The defeat of Ann Marie Humphreys in May by Ari Leitner was the local price Labour paid for the simmering national issue of unresolved anti-Semitism within its party.

The ward has one of the highest concentrations of Jewish residents in the country and Ari won with a thumping 750 majority.

On the night of May’s local election results Rebecca Long-Bailey, Salford’s MP, commenting on the anti-Semitism issue impacting on the Kersal result, said: “We are sorting this out and making sure the process is sped up. Unfortunately we didn’t see enough rolled out in the weeks when this arose.

“The community in Kersal feel incredibly hurt. Councillors and the City Mayor need to sit down and discuss what we can do locally- we need to taking our own action locally.”

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