Dame Louise Ellman facing no confidence vote on eve of Yom Kippur

Labour Party members in Liverpool have been criticised for holding a vote of no-confidence in their Jewish MP – on the evening of Yom Kippur.

Dame Louise Ellman MP, who became the chair of Labour Friends of Israel in August, has been a prominent critic of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of the antisemitism crisis, and recently said she “understood” if Jews felt like leaving the UK if he became prime minister.

The Constituency Labour Party in Liverpool Riverside lodged the motion this week, stating: “This branch is fully behind Jeremy Corbyn.”

Referring to Ellman’s recent comments, it added: “We have no confidence that our MP… will carry out the wishes of our CLP and our constituency or that she will follow Labour Party policy. This branch therefore calls on Louise Ellman to resign.”

Board of Deputies’ president Marie van der Zyl condemned the timing of the vote.

“That a Jewish MP should be threatened with a vote of no confidence tabled for Yom Kippur – the holiest day in the Jewish calendar – when she has no opportunity even to respond, ought to be a source of deep shame for the Labour Party,” she said.

“Louise Ellman has fought bravely against antisemitism in her own party, and she should be applauded, not vilified.”

Ellman is the latest Jewish MP who has been critical of Corbyn to face being kicked out by local Party members. Last week, Dame Margaret Hodge heard that she was facing a reselection challenge in her Barking constituency.

Hodge famously berated Corbyn in the House of Commons, calling him “an antisemite”. She later refused to retract the accusation.