Ken Livingstone claims Corbyn should have tackled antisemitism earlier and says ‘Jewish vote wasn’t very helpful’

Former London mayor prompts fresh anger after claiming ‘Jewish vote wasn’t very helpful’

Ken Livingstone has suggested that British Jews were partly responsible for Labour’s crushing election defeat.

The former Labour mayor of London, who was suspended by the party over antisemitism, said “the Jewish vote wasn’t very helpful” and claimed that Mr Corbyn should have responded to anti-Jewish abuse “far earlier than he did”.

He admitted that the Labour leader would have to resign, with the party on course for its worst general election result since 1935.

Labour has faced sustained criticism over how it deals with allegations of antisemitism, including those that were levelled at Mr Livingstone.

The Corbyn ally was suspended in 2016 after claiming that Adolf Hitler had supported Zionism.

Commenting on results suggesting that Labour is on course for its worst general election result in decades, Mr Livingstone told the Press Association: “The Jewish vote wasn’t very helpful. Jeremy should have tackled that issue far earlier than he did.

“It looks like the end for Jeremy, which is disappointing for me since I’m a close ally. I’m sure he’ll have to resign tomorrow.’

The comments prompted James Cleverly, the Conservative Party chair, to tweet: “Ken Livingstone. FFS.”

Many Jews in Labour have long feared that the Jewish community would face a backlash from some Labour members if the party lost the general election.

Mr Livingstone was initially suspended in 2016 and was still going through Labour’s disciplinary processes when he decided to quit the party last year, saying he had become a “distraction”.

Then, he said: “The ongoing issues around my suspension from the Labour Party have become a distraction from the key political issue of our time – which is to replace a Tory government overseeing falling living standards and spiralling poverty, while starving our schools and the NHS of the vital resources they need.”