Labour candidates and council leaders demand Ken Livingstone expulsion
A group of London Assembly candidates and council leaders have called on Labour to expel Ken Livingstone.
Justin Cohen is the News Editor at the Jewish News
A group of London Assembly candidates and council leaders have called on Labour’s general secretary to expel Ken Livingstone.
The former mayoral of London was suspended for bringing the party into disrepute last Thursday after claiming Hitler was a Zionist – and repeatedly refused to say sorry for hurt to the Jewish community.
Andrew Dismore, Labour’s candidate for Barnet and Camden in Thursday’s London Assembly elections, has written to the party’s general secretary saying the “unambiguously anti-Semitic” remarks had caused “profound anguish and concern”.
While arguing the party “was starting to get a grip” following a string of suspensions of party members, councillors and an MP, he argued: “We must deal with that small number of unreformable recalcitrants like Ken Livingstone, who I believe must part company with us for good.
“He has form and is a serial offender. His inability to recognise this or apologise for his crass and offensive outbursts and actions now, a Mayor, or at previous London elections, has damaged our standing, and we must now grasp the nettle and take action. If Ken cannot be persuaded to leave voluntarily for the good of the party, he should be chucked out – and the NEC must see to this with speed and resolve.”
The letter is supported by eight Assembly candidates including Mike Katz, Navin Shah and Alison Moore as well as the leaders of Camden and Ealing councils and the head of then Labour group on Barnet council.
Dismore – who said the party had through its history championed Jewish rights in the UK and introduced Holocaust Memorial Day following a campaign he introduced – said it would be a “tragedy if he were to be unfairly stigmatised due to Livingstone and those of his ilk” after he had campaigned extensively within the community.
Ahead of Yom HaShoah, he added: “Let us make our contribution to the memory of the victims of this terrible crime by taking the firmest possible action against all who dare to espouse the world’s longest hate.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
