By Charlie Carmichael And Ben Kerrigan-
Labour MP Margaret Hodge is to face action over a tirade in which she allegedly called Jeremy Corbyn an anti-Semite, a spokesman for the Labour leader has said.
Dame Margaret reportedly challenged Mr Corbyn behind the Speaker’s chair in the Commons, following the adoption by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee of a new code of conduct on anti-Semitism which states that criticism against Israel does not necessary amount to anti semitism. The new code of conduct which has been widely denounced by Jewish groups. However, Corbyn’s office vowed that action will be taken against Hodge for calling her expletives against the Labour leader in which he was called an anti semite and a racist.
The Huffington Post had reported how Dame Margaret told him: “You’re a f****** anti-Semite and a racist … You have proved you don’t want people like me in the party.”Mr Corbyn reportedly told her: “I’m sorry you feel like that.” Dame Margaret has not commented about the incident openly, but has denied swearing. The MP should be assumed to be lying in her denial ,unless she has challenged the Hufftingdon Post about the said publication in which she was quoted to have sworn as alleged. If the MP indeed swore in the manner quoted this would be a disgrace to her image
Mr Corbyn’s spokesman branded the Barking MP’s remarks “clearly unacceptable”, but has refused to disclose the precise nature of the action to be brought against Dame Margaret, who is herself Jewish and lost family members in the Holocaust.But he said that it would be taken under Parliamentary Labour Party procedures requiring MPs to behave in a “respectful” way towards colleagues and not to “bring the party into disrepute”
“Under the terms of PLP rules, behaviour has to be respectful between colleagues and not bring the party into disrepute,” said the spokesman.“The behaviour was clearly unacceptable between colleagues. Jeremy’s door is always open to discussions with members of the PLP. Action will be taken.Labour MP Wes Streeting has suggested the “action” being taken should be a “fulsome apology to Margaret and the Jewish community for the flagrant disregard shown for their concerns”.Dudley MP Ian Austin said: “Imagine if Jeremy and his team were as quick to take action against the people responsible for racism as they are with the people complaining about it.”A series of Labour MPs have publicly vented their fury about the NEC’s failure to include within the new code of conduct the full definition of anti-Semitism set out by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Former leader Ed Miliband said the “vast majority of the Jewish community” agreed that the definition should be used in full and urged the NEC to do so “at speed”
“The Labour Party anti-Semitism working group drew up a code of conduct which incorporates and builds on and clarifies those examples and expands on them so that they can be used effectively for a political party, including in disciplinary cases,” he said.
Labour officials drew up the code in the wake of protests by Jewish groups outside Parliament earlier this year. The code states that criticism of the state of Israel and its policies should not automatically be regarded as anti-Semitic, and makes clear that even “contentious” comments on this issue “will not be treated as anti-Semitism unless accompanied by specific anti-Semitic content … or by other evidence of anti-Semitic intent”.
.Dudley MP Ian Austin said: “Imagine if Jeremy and his team were as quick to take action against the people responsible for racism as they are with the people complaining about it.” Mp’s say consultation is ongoing with the Jewish Community on the thorny issue of anti-semitism that has rocked the Labour party in past times, but this recent internal explosion has brought the matter back to the forefront. The fact the Labour party is reluctant to state the nature of disciplinary action to be taken can also be seen as a sign of both weakness and uncertainty with respect to an issue they are highlighting as serious enough to warrant such action.