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KEN LIVINGSTONE was suspended from the Labour Party yesterday for “bringing the party into disrepute” after dragging the nazis into a row over anti-semitism.
The party has launched an investigation into comments made by the former mayor of London in defence of MP Naz Shah, who was herself suspended on Wednesday over a social media post in which she suggested Israel should be “moved” to the United States.
Labour chief whip Rosie Winterton also summoned backbench MP John Mann for a meeting to “discuss his conduct” after he angrily confronted Mr Livingstone.
Mr Mann branded Mr Livingstone a “nazi apologist” as the pair arrived at the BBC’s Westminster studios amid a media scrum to debate Ms Shah’s conduct.
Ms Winterton told him it was “inappropriate” to get involved in “very public rows,” which Mr Mann accepted, according to a Labour spokesman.
Mr Livingstone had called Ms Shah’s posts “over the top,” but said she was not anti-semitic and that he had never encountered anti-semitism in his 40 years in the Labour Party.
But he sparked anger when he said that Hitler was “supporting zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.”
“Let’s remember, when Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel,” Mr Livingstone told BBC London.
He later said Hitler was “a monster from start to finish” and not a zionist, but insisted that he had just stated “historical facts.”
His comments were widely condemned by Labour MPs, including London mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan, who called them “appalling and inexcusable.”
Board of Deputies of British Jews president Jonathan Arkush called for Labour to expel Mr Livingstone for his “abhorrent and beyond disgraceful” comments.
Mr Livingstone’s bid for re-election to Labour’s national executive committee is now in considerable doubt.
“A period of silence from Ken Livingstone is overdue, especially on anti-semitism racism and zionism. It’s time he left politics altogether,” said left-wing Labour campaign group Momentum chairman Jon Lansman.
“Ken Livingstone achieved many good things for London and beyond, but all political lives end in failure and he should now depart voluntarily.”
The Jewish Socialists’ Group said in a statement that other “accusations of anti-semitism are currently being weaponised to attack the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party.”
