Ex-Labour candidate probed over anti-Semitism facing 5-year ban

Former parliamentary hopeful John Clarke, who is being investigated over anti-Semitic posts on Twitter, stands down from Labour

By Justin Cohen March 15, 2017, 4:09 pm Edit

Justin Cohen is the News Editor at the Jewish News

A former Labour parliamentary candidate being investigated over anti-Semitic social media posts is facing a five-year ban from the party after quitting while under

Former Black Notley Parish Council leader John Clarke was criticised after endorsing a social media post which said “The Rothschild family has used money lending and Israel to “take over the world”. He said the post was an “oversimflified view of the world economy but containing a great deal of truth”.

He was suspended last month and was then referred by the NEC’s disputes panel to the national constitutional committee last Tuesday. Within hours of the decision, he annoounced he was leaving Labour, though his current Twitter bio suggests he was “purged”.

Under the party’s rules, when any member resigns under suspension it is automatically treated as an expulsion and they cannot be admitted for at least five years.

Jeremy Newmark, chair of Jewish Labour Movement said: “The Labour Party got this right. They acted swiftly to suspend Clarke and complete an investigation that led to the NCC referral. It is quite correct that a serious sanction is imposed so his resignation can’t be used to dodge accountability. “