The controversy stems from the party’s forced disavowal of Azhar Ali, its candidate for the Rochdale by-election, due to accusations of “antisemitic” remarks.
Following the publication of his remarks by the website Guido Fawkes, Graham Jones was summoned in for an interview this evening and was placed on administrative suspension from the party while an inquiry was conducted.
According to the website Guido Fawkes, Mr. Jones, the former Labour MP for Hyndburn who lost his seat in 2019 and is running for office again, is accused of saying that UK citizens who volunteer to fight for the Israeli Defence Forces “should be locked up” and that it is “illegal” for them to do so.
It is purported that he made these remarks at the same gathering where Azhar Ali, the Labour candidate for the Rochdale by-election, who has since been dropped, also made remarks.
During Mr. Jones’ speech, one attendee reported that he stated, “People should put Britain first and stop putting other countries first.”
It is known that a large number of the attendees were Muslims, and the gathering happened in the weeks immediately following the October 7 assaults.
