Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate Siobhan Benita says Sadiq Khan in “increasingly difficult place” over Labour antisemitism
The Liberal Democrats’ candidate for the London Mayoralty says Mayor Sadiq Kahn is finding himself in an “increasingly difficult place” trying to balance solidarity with the Jewish community while remaining in Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.
Siobhan Benita, who hopes to defeat Mr Khan in the mayoral election next year, added that: “Whether he likes it or not, Sadiq is helping prop up a Party that still has huge problems with antisemitism.”
She went on to say: “I would never ever seek to talk down what he has done in terms of standing with the community. But what I would not do is prop up a Party that has a huge problem when it comes down to antisemitism. During my campaign a lot of voters have told me that their problem with Labour is not just Brexit, it’s over the failure to deal with the antisemitism problem.”
Ms Benita also claimed that as the May 2020 poll draws closer Mr Khan will have to tone done his earlier criticisms of Mr Corbyn and calls for action on antisemitism in the Party because “increasingly the London Labour Party is being taken over by [the pro-Corbyn group] Momentum at a lower level,” and “he’s having to do that because he’s having to make sure that…he’s got enough support on the ground to campaign for him.”
She noted that “lately Sadiq has said some positive things about some of Corbyn’s decisions,” observing: “I think it’s becoming an increasingly difficult position for him to be in. You have got to look at actions as well as words.”
On 28th May, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.
In recent months, thirteen MPs and three peers have resigned from the Labour Party over antisemitism, along with a large number of MEPs, councillors and members.
Over 57,000 people have now signed our petition denouncing Jeremy Corbyn as an antisemite and declaring him “unfit to hold any public office.”
