Len McCluskey’s now infamous New Statesman article dismissing anti-Semitism as a “smear” and threatening Labour MPs who spoke in the anti-Semitism debate with deselection was actually written by Corbyn aide Andrew Murray, Jon Craig reports. Murray is Len’s chief of staff at Unite but is also a “part-time consultant” in Corbyn’s office. Readers will remember the former Communist Party member’s other greatest hits include defending Stalin, the Soviet Union and North Korea, celebrating the Russian Revolution and repeatedly parroting Kremlin talking points. Craig says he has had it “confirmed by a top union source” that Murray was the author of McCluskey’s article. Corbyn publicly says that anti-Semitism stories are not a smear and praises the MPs who spoke out about abuse. Privately his aides are writing articles saying it is a smear and threatening them with deselection…

UPDATE: Unite dispute Jon Craig’s top union source and insist Len wrote it himself.