Naz Shah backs calls for Ken Livingstone expulsion
The Bradford MP who apologised for an anti-Semitic Facebook post in 2016, signs letter by the Jewish Labour Movement condemning the ex-London mayor
MP Naz Shah has backed calls for Ken Livingstone to be expelled as she spoke out on the case for the first time since he was suspended for defending her a year ago.
The Bradford MP has been widely praised for her efforts to learn more about the Jewish community and Israel after she was suspended over a social media post widely deemed to be anti-Semitic.
Despite the fact she quickly apologised, Livingstone has continued to maintain the post wasn’t anti-Semitic. It was in touring media studios 11 months ago that he made his now infamous comments about Hitler and Zionism.
But Shah has now joined more than 100 MPs in signing a Jewish Labour Movement letter in condemnation of the decision this week not to expel him, and rather to impose a further one year suspension.
In response to a tweet from London mayor Sadiq Khan describing the failure to expel as “deeply disappointing”, Shah wrote: “Completely agree with @mayoroflondon, we all make mistakes, leadership is about learning from them #antisemitism.”
In an interview with Jewish News, Livingstone repeatedly refused to offer a full apology. He has been condemned by long-term ally Corbyn for failing to do so.
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