Livingstone quits UK Labour Party

KEN Livingstone, the former mayor of London whose membership in the Labour Party has exposed the British political party to allegations of anti-Semitism, has announced he’s quitting the party.

Livingstone has been suspended since 2016 over his repeated claims that Adolf Hitler was a supporter of Zionism.

“I am loyal to the Labour Party and to Jeremy Corbyn,” he said in a statement to the BBC, naming the man who has been the party’s leader since 2015. “However, any further disciplinary action against me may drag on for months or even years, distracting attention from Jeremy’s policies. I am therefore, with great sadness, leaving the Labour Party.”

British Jews have accused Corbyn – a hard-left supporter who in 2009 called Hamas and Hezbollah representatives his “friends” whom he was “honoured” to host at the British parliament – of whitewashing, encouraging or ignoring the party’s anti-Semitism problem.

Corbyn has vowed to kick out of the party anyone caught engaging in hate speech, including about Jews. But the Board of Deputies of British Jews have cited the failure to expel members like Livingstone, among other issues, as proof that Corbyn was failing to do so.

Speaking in April 2016, Livingstone said: “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.”

While Livingstone rejected the charge of anti-Semitism, he acknowledged some of his comments had caused offence in the Jewish community, for which he was “truly sorry”.

“I do not accept the allegation that I have brought the Labour Party into disrepute – nor that I am in any way guilty of anti-Semitism. I abhor anti-Semitism, I have fought it all my life and will continue to do so,” he said. “I also recognise that the way I made a historical argument has caused offence and upset in the Jewish community. I am truly sorry for that.”

Corbyn said that Livingstone’s resignation was a “sad moment” but it was the “right thing to do”, the BBC reported.

But Joe Glasman, a spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism watchdog, said following the resignation that “the Labour Party is growing worse”. Corbyn, he said, has already rubbed salt into the wound by expressing sadness and is promoting a defender of Livingstone, Martha Osamor, to the House of Lords, the parliament’s upper house.

Reacting to his resignation, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Jewish Leadership Council said it is “clear that he wanted to avoid going through a disciplinary process. His resignation does not detract from the need for the Labour Party to take concrete action to counter anti-Semitism that we set out in our letter on 28 March. It does not solve any of the party’s issues with anti-Semitism, it simply avoids a potentially messy disciplinary process.”

The Jewish Labour Movement issued a statement, saying it is “under no illusions”.

“Livingstone was guilty of bringing the Labour Party into disrepute and was given a slap on the wrist. He should have been expelled then. This does not prove the Labour Party is willing to take serious action against anti-Semitism in its ranks. The outstanding disciplinary cases are only one part of a continuing and increasing problem that requires action, not words.”

JTA/UK JEWISH NEWS