Labour has suspended a second candidate in a row over antisemitism.

Graham Jones, the former MP for Hyndburn, who is standing for the seat at the next election, was recorded referring to “f***ing Israel”  and that British people who have signed up to fight for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) “should be locked up”.

The hopeful made the comments at the same meeting in which the party’s prospective MP for Rochdale claimed Israel allowed the 7 October attack to happen as a pretext to invade Gaza.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism said Labour needed to reveal which other MPs, candidates and councillors were at the event. 

READ MORE: Azhar Ali withdrawn as Labour's Rochdale candidate

It’s another embarrassment for Sir Keir Starmer who was forced to withdraw support for Azhar Ali on Monday night.

That decision came after two days of the party defending the candidate.

At the meeting, he claimed Israel deliberately allowed 1,400 of its citizens to be massacred to give Benjamin Netanyahu’s government the “green light” to invade Gaza.

He also claimed that Sir Keir Starmer had “lost the confidence” of his MPs because of his unwillingness to back a ceasefire.

However, he was only suspended when it emerged that he also said Israel planned to “get rid of [Palestinians] from Gaza” as part of a “land grab” and blamed “people in the media from certain Jewish quarters” for pushing criticism of Andy McDonald, a Labour MP who used the “between the river and the sea” slogan last year.

Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to Wellingborough on Tuesday, Sir Keir defended not initially taking action against Mr Ali.

He said: “Certain information came to light over the weekend in relation to the candidate. There was a fulsome apology.

“Further information came to light yesterday calling for decisive action, so I took decisive action. It is a huge thing to withdraw support for a Labour candidate during the course of a by-election. It’s a tough decision, a necessary decision, but when I say the Labour Party has changed under my leadership I mean it.”

READ MORE: Labour by-election candidate claimed Israel allowed 7 October attack

Sir Keir said any allegations against other councillors at the meeting would be “fully investigated by the party”.

He said: “Those comments were appalling and that is why we took decisive action. It is virtually unprecedented to withdraw support for a candidate in the way I withdrew support from this candidate yesterday.

"That’s what a changed Labour Party is all about. Of course, any allegation will be fully investigated by the party, but the important thing is the decisive action that’s been taken to make it absolutely clear that this is a changed Labour Party.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We commend Labour for doing the right thing, and doing it swiftly.

"However, these new revelations are putting an even greater focus on that late October Lancashire meeting where both Azhar Ali and Graham Jones reportedly made their comments.

"It is time for Labour to reveal which other MPs, candidates and councillors were there and why they said nothing about the remarks that were made, and indeed if more such remarks were made.

"Labour must continue to put a line in the sand and declare that it will not tolerate extremist views. It is the least that we should be able to expect from all our political parties.

“The question remains: who else was at that October meeting, what else was said, and who else knew, and why did nobody act?”