Labour MPs have warned the resignation of Ken Livingstone from the party must not mark the end of moves to tackle anti-Semitism in its ranks.
The former London mayor announced on Monday he was quitting Labour, saying the allegations against him of anti-Semitism had become a “distraction” for the party.
His old ally Jeremy Corbyn said he was “sad” to see him go but it was the “right thing do do”.
But among MPs who have led the campaign against anti-Semitism – many of them critics of Mr Corbyn’s leadership – there was anger and frustration that Mr Livingstone would escape formal expulsion proceedings.
Mr Livingstone risked further antagonising his critics by suggesting he could even apply to rejoin the party if the left broke the grip of the right which, he said, still dominated the party’s disciplinary machinery.
“It depends on how long I live, doesn’t it? We will come back and talk about it in a couple of years,” he told Sky News.
READ MORE: Ken Livingstone resigns over 'distraction' of anti-Semitism allegations
Backbencher Wes Streeting, who has been at the forefront of the campaign against anti-Semitism in Labour, said there must be no way back for the former mayor.
“We must now make it clear that he will never be welcome to return. His vocal cheerleaders and supporters should follow him out the door,” he said.
Fellow MP Ruth Smeeth, however, said the party should have acted years ago to remove Mr Livingstone following a series of alleged anti-Semitic incidents.
“Ken Livingstone’s behaviour has been grossly offensive to British Jews,” she said.
“The truth is that Ken’s despicable and hurtful attitude should have seen him expelled years ago and the fact that it has taken this long to see him go beggars belief.”
READ MORE: Ken Livingstone resigns over 'distraction' of anti-Semitism allegations
In contrast, Chris Williamson, a left-wing ally of Mr Corbyn, said the former mayor was a “towering figure” who had popularised “progressive socialism” while opposing all forms of racism.
Mr Livingstone was originally suspended in 2016 after claiming in a radio interview that Hitler had supported Zionism in the 1930s.
Anti-Semitism campaigners had been demanding Mr Livingstone’s permanent expulsion as a signal that the party was serious about dealing with the issue following a protest in March outside Parliament by members of the Jewish community.
As recently as this month, Mr Livingstone indicated he would resist any move to oust him, suggesting he would be prepared to take the case to court if necessary.
READ MORE: Ken Livingstone resigns over 'distraction' of anti-Semitism allegations
In his statement on Monday, Mr Livingstone continued to protest his innocence although he acknowledged some of his comments had caused offence within the Jewish community for which he said he was “truly sorry”.
“I do not accept the allegation that I have brought the Labour Party into disrepute, nor that I am in any way guilty of anti-Semitism,” he said.
“However any further disciplinary action against me may drag on for months or even years, distracting attention from Jeremy’s policies.
“I am therefore, with great sadness, leaving the Labour Party.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel