UK Labour shadow minister steps down after apologizing for antisemitism

"Owing to a campaign by the right wing media my position has become untenable," he said in a statement.

JULY 17, 2020 05:28

Labour Party candidate Lloyd Russell-Moyle after he is announced as the winner for the constituency of Brighton Kemptown 7n December 13, 2019. (photo credit: REUTERS/PAUL CHILDS) — Labour Party candidate Lloyd Russell-Moyle after he is announced as the winner for the constituency of Brighton Kemptown 7n December 13, 2019.

(photo credit: REUTERS/PAUL CHILDS)

A Labour MP has resigned from the party's frontbenches citing a "campaign by the right wing media" against him, after he was forced to apologize for antisemitic comments.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle had been facing pressure over his position after he had to issue two separate apologies: one last week for comments in which he called Zionism a "dangerous nationalist idea" and accused Israel of terrorism.

The other apology was made after he accused Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling of "using her own sexual assault as justification" to raise concerns over transgender rights.

No action was taken by the Labour Party over either incident, but Russell-Moyle has now stepped down from his position as a shadow environmental minister, citing harassment.

"Owing to a campaign by the right wing media my position has become untenable," he said in a statement issued on Twitter. "This has unleashed a torrent of online hate and daily calls of harassment to my office, which has exposed those who work for me to abuse that would not be acceptable in any workplace," he added.

This afternoon I spoke to Keir and asked to step back from the front bench duties as Minister for Air Quality and the Natural Environment but remain a Labour and Co-operative MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven. See my statement below. pic.twitter.com/g1I8T7QLVg
— Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP️‍ (@lloyd_rm) July 16, 2020

Russell-Moyle entered parliament as an ally of former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose premiership was dogged by accusations of endemic antisemitism within the party. During his time in Westminster he has backed a number of Labour activists accused of antisemitism.

Among them were Melanie Melvin, who was ejected from the party for antisemitic tweets including one suggesting Israel was behind a conspiracy to fake the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons in Syria. “Breaking: Sarin gassing was filmed by the BBC at Pinewood on the orders of Mrs May and the Israeli lobby,” she tweeted.

Also drawing support from Russell-Moyle was Rebecca Massey, an activist who tweeted that the “Israel lobby manufactured the UK Labour Party’s antisemitism crisis.”

A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The role that Mr Russell-Moyle has now left was his first Shadow Cabinet position and we had been disappointed that Sir Keir Starmer had promoted him given his record. Mr Russell-Moyle should still face disciplinary proceedings over his past conduct.”