Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The Westminster Hour, said he is mortified by what
is going on in the and should accept the
internationally accepted definition of anti-semitism and kick
anti-semites out of the party.
FULL QUOTES:
Speaking on the programme Labour MP Chris Leslie, asked if he
shared the views of on the Labour Party's
handling of anti-semitism said:
I do actually. I'm absolutely mortified by what's going on in the
higher command of the party, the National Executive Committee,
for some reason feeling that while dozens of other countries and
the police and the Crown Prosecution Service have all adopted the
working definition of anti-semitism, widely accepted, the
almost uniquely wants to be
able to say no no if you question people's loyalty to your
country that's not anti-semitic. Can you be allowed to compare
Jews to nazis or somehow that's not anti-semitic. I mean it's
absolutely mortifying... Ian Austin he speaks his mind. Does he
have a right as a backbencher to put those points forcefully to
the establishment of the party and we're talking about the
leadership of the party who have to be held accountable for these
things, absolutely he does. And it's to our collective shame that
this is still dragging on month after month. It's certainly not
in my name and it's clearly not in Ian Austin's name either.
On asked whether the argument was more about people who don't
like and support he said:
Well I think you could almost reverse it the other way. I think
for those of us who had our concerns about the hard left/Momentum
takeover of the Labour higher command we've long had concerns
about sweeping generalisations about the anti-West nature of
attacks on Israel and Israelis and the Jewish community which of
course can slip into anti-semitism and that's sadly the nature of
some of these fringe elements on the hard left and unfortunately
now they feel as though this has been an invitation to come and
join the . I personally think we've got
to adopt this strict definition of anti-semitism and kick out the
anti-semites.
