Labour has suspended a former MP who accused the Jewish community of colluding with “Blairite plotters” to damage the party, as a poll for the Observer found that more than a third of voters believe that the party is prejudiced against British Jews.
Jim Sheridan, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North until 2015, was suspended after apparently writing in a Facebook post that has since been removed: “For all my adult life I have had the utmost respect and empathy for the Jewish community and their historic suffering. No longer, due to what they and their Blairite plotters are doing to my party and the long-suffering people of Britain who need a radical Labour government.”
Labour said it could not comment on individual cases, but that complaints of antisemitism were “fully investigated”.
After a series of disputes over Labour’s handling of antisemitism allegations, an Opinium poll for the Observer found that a total of 36% of voters believed Labour held, or probably held, an anti-Jewish prejudice. Jeremy Corbyn’s personal ratings have plummeted in the last month.
In July, 31% approved of the job Corbyn was doing, with 43% disapproving – giving him a net approval rating of minus 12. This month, his rating has fallen to minus 24. Theresa May’s approval ratings have improved, but are still only slightly better than Corbyn’s. Her rate has increased from minus 24 to minus 21.
Corbyn’s team has been frustrated by the row over its handling of allegations of antisemitism in the party, which has prevented them from spending the summer developing a programme for government.
Corbyn’s presence at a gathering in a Tunis cemetery in 2014, at which a wreath was laid at the graves of figures connected to the Black September group, was a source of controversy running throughout last week. The group conducted the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed.
Corbyn has said that he was present but not involved in the wreath-laying. He said that he was at the gathering to commemorate the victims of the 1985 Israeli airstrike on Palestinian Liberation Organisation offices in Tunis. The row followed criticism of Labour for refusing to adopt the full definition and examples of antisemitism as set out by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Some of Corbyn’s closest allies, including the Unite union boss Len McCluskey, have urged the party to adopt the full definition. It is now preparing to do so, but wants to ensure legitimate criticism of Israel is not curtailed.
The Opinium poll also found that 34% think Labour tolerates antisemitism, while 33% think Corbyn is antisemitic – something he vehemently denies. Previous polls have been worse.
A survey by Deltapoll published in April suggested that half of the electorate believed there were at least pockets of antisemitism in Labour. That poll was carried out shortly after a demonstration outside parliament against antisemitism within the party.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, face a problem among some voters over perceived Islamophobia. More than a quarter (27%) believe the party is prejudiced against British Muslims.
After Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, compared Muslim women in full veils to letterboxes and bank robbers, 28% think the Conservative party has a large number of members who are Islamophobic. Some 27% think Johnson is Islamophobic, which his team denies.
Overall, the Tories have retaken a one-point lead over Labour since last month. The Conservatives gained three points to rise to 39% of the vote, with Labour down two points on 38%.
May has increased her lead over Corbyn on who would make the best prime minister from 4 to 6 points. Both main parties are seen by 59% of voters as divided.