Luciana Berger’s local Labour party dismisses ‘unfounded’ antisemitism claims

The local Labour Party in Luciana Berger’s Liverpool Wavertree constituency has dismissed antisemitism claims as “largely unfounded”.

The controversial comments appeared in the introduction to the Constituency Labour Party’s annual report, as its 1,600 members prepare for the Annual General Meeting this week.

Berger is a Jewish Member of Parliament who resigned from Labour earlier this year, saying the party had become “institutionally antisemitic”. She initially joined a new political grouping, but has since left that too. She now sits as an independent MP.

Liverpool Wavertree CLP chair Dr Alex Scott-Samuel, who is also Jewish, has been accused of leading a bullying campaign against Berger. He lodged a no-confidence motion in her in February before withdrawing it after Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson called for the CLP to be suspended.