The crisis facing Labour has deepened further this morning, as a third Labour politician is thought to have attended a meeting of activists at the centre of antisemitism accusations.
Meanwhile, fresh polling from Savanta shows that the party's approval ratings have dropped significantly, putting them just 12 points ahead of the Conservatives after a seven point drop.
Labour are on a 41 per cent vote share. The last time they were at this level was September 2022. The drop was described as "significant" by Savanta's Chris Hopkins, who said it serves as a "useful reminder" that Labour's lead "is not infallible".
The polling was conducted between 9-11 February - before the antisemitism crisis began to unfold, but after the party announced it would be U-turning on its promise to put £28billion towards green investment.
The crisis facing Labour has deepened further this morning, as a third Labour politician is thought to have attended a meeting of activists at the centre of antisemitism accusations
PA
But the issues for the party seems to only be continuing, as a third Labour member - a councillor - is said to have been at the gathering which saw two parliamentary candidates accused of making antisemitic comments.
Sources told Sky he has been "spoken to" by Labour officials, but no further action has been taken at this point.
Earlier this week, Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali was accused of suggesting that Israel deliberately relaxed its security in October, ahead of the Hamas attacks, following warnings of an imminent threat.
While Graham Jones, the former Labour MP for Hyndburn who lost his seat in 2019 and is seeking to stand again, is alleged to have said that UK citizens who volunteer to fight for the Israeli Defence Forces "should be locked up" and that it was "illegal" for them to fight for Israel, according to the website Guido Fawkes.
Jones, a former Labour MP who lost his seat in 2019, was seeking to stand again for the Labour Party. He was administratively suspended from the party last night, pending investigation, GB News understands. The former MP was called in for an interview last night.
Sources told Guido Fawkes that he allegedly claimed UK citizens who volunteer to fight for the Israeli Defence Forces "should be locked up". He is also alleged to have said it was "illegal" for them to fight for Israel.
Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director at Savanta said: "This significant drop in Labour's lead may well be in response to a torrid couple of weeks for Keir Starmer's party, and part of a wider trend.
"It may also be something else entirely, and I'd caution people not to read too much into one poll - yet.
"But this poll still serves as useful a reminder as any that Labour's lead - while consistently high for many months - is not infallible. Voters have not quite made up their mind about Keir Starmer's Labour Party, and doubts could well be creeping back in."
Starmer was accused of being "complicit" in a "disgusting display of antisemitism" by a group of Tory MPs today, who sent a joint letter calling for a list of names of those present at the meeting. They also asked whether any Labour members present reported the meeting to party authorities.
In a statement alongside the letter, former Tory chairman Jake Berry said: "It is vital that the Labour Party reveals who has been complicit in this disgusting display of antisemitism and did nothing to call it out.
"Labour claim to have changed. This proves that whatever they say, Keir Starmer is just the new leader of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party."
Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali was accused of suggesting that Israel deliberately relaxed its security in October, ahead of the Hamas attacks, following warnings of an imminent threat.
PA
Starmer initially stood by Ali but he later withdrew his support for the candidate yesterday evening, saying "new information" had emerged.
Yesterday morning, Labour's national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden said: "He’s issued a complete apology and retraction. And I hope he learns a good lesson from it because he should never have said something like that in the first place.”
But yesterday evening, a party spokesperson said: “Following new information about further comments made by Azhar Ali coming to light today, the Labour Party has withdrawn its support for Azhar Ali as our candidate in the Rochdale by-election.
“Keir Starmer has changed Labour so that it is unrecognisable from the party of 2019. We understand that these are highly unusual circumstances, but it is vital that any candidate put forward by Labour fully represents its aims and values. Given that nominations have now closed, Azhar Ali cannot be replaced as the candidate.”
Martin Forde KC, who led an investigation into the party under Jeremy Corbyn, criticised the current Labour leader for failing to act sooner, saying: "If you want a fair and transparent system then it has to deal with people consistently.
"I’m aware from discussions with some of the MPs within the party who might be described as left-leaning that they feel that when it comes to disciplinary action taken against them then things move rather slowly, but if you’re in the right faction of the party, as it were, then things are dealt with either more leniently or more swiftly.
Forde noted that Labour MPs Diane Abbott and Kate Osamor had both apologised immediately after they were accused of antisemitism, but that "things seemed to drag on in terms of disciplining certain elements of the party, and be dealt with swiftly in others”.
He added: “This was a very inflammatory thing [for Ali] to say. That there is some complicity to justify retaliatory attacks was clearly antisemitic.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: "Sir Keir Starmer has blotted an otherwise fairly admirable copybook and given the public reason to doubt the earnestness of his promise to tear antisemitism out ‘by its roots’ in Labour.
"People will have to judge for themselves whether the additional reported comments by Azhar Ali are really any worse than the comments that had already been reported."
But responding to his remarks yesterday, Starmer denied that factionalism played a role in the handling of complaints of antisemitism, saying it makes “no difference to me where somebody stands in the Labour Party”.
He said: "I set out four years ago to tear antisemitism out of the Labour Party. It’s the first thing I said I’d do as Labour leader, and to change our party.
“I have taken a series of decisions along those lines ruthlessly changing our party, and it’s made no difference to me where somebody stands in the Labour Party.
“The change I’ve brought about is a Labour Party that is now back in the service of working people.”
On a visit to Wellingborough, the Labour leader added: "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.”
Pressed on whether those present at the event would be investigated, Sir Keir added: “Any allegation that needs to be investigated will be investigated.”
Labour has been contacted for comment.
