Keith Vaz MP supports Marc Wadsworth

The veteran Labour MP has publically come out in support of recently expelled Black activist Marc Wadsworth.

In a 700 word letter to the Labour hierarchy Vaz points out that what has happened to Mr Wadsworth is a ‘horrible injustice’.

Mr Vaz - who has been a long time parliamentary supporter of Labour Friends of Israel - warned expelling Mr Wadsworth would send an extremely negative message to the black community.

On the day of Wadsworth’s expulsion OBV asked, was there more evidence that the public were not privy to, in regards to his party expulsion?

When LBC radio covered the story as an exclusive this morning their report began with the line, “To many Marc Wadsworth has been the epitome of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party”. Indeed the MP Ruth Smeeth accused Wadsworth of that charge on her website for nearly two years, before removing that part. But many of us are still waiting to see how Wadsworth was anti-Semitic towards Smeeth, and if he wasn’t, is the Labour really going to expel members for being discourteous towards MP’s?

In his letter, Keith Vaz points out that this present saga is doing nothing to build trust with Black communities who feel that Wadsworth has been scapegoated because the party want to show they are being tough on anti-Semitism.

OBV will do all its it power to maintain the trust and solidarity between Black and Jewish groups, and that is not undermined if people demand greater clarification about Wadsworth allegedly anti-Semitic remarks.

Simon Woolley