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Three Labour peers have quit the party with a former general secretary denouncing it as “institutionally anti-Semitic”.
Lord Triesman, who was general secretary under Tony Blair, today said the party leadership had used any excuse “to allow their allies to attack Jews or engage with anti-Semites.
“My sad conclusion is that the Labour Party is very plainly institutionally anti-Semitic, and its leader and his circle are anti-Semitic having never once made the right judgment call about an issue reflecting deep prejudice,” he wrote in his letter of resignation posted on Twitter by BBC Newsnight.
He was one of three peers to resign the whip on Tuesday, with former Labour health minister Lord Darzi telling BBC Newsnight that he had resigned.
Former president of the Royal College of Physicians Lord Turnberg is also reported to have quit.
Lord Triesman, 75, was the Labour Party’s most senior official under former prime minister Tony Blair, before going on to serve as a government minister under Gordon Brown.
In his resignation letter he wrote: “Day by day the extent and depth of antisemitism becomes clearer in the top leadership and National Executive Committee.
“Antisemites are shielded and solid and serious party members are thrown out unceremoniously.
“And each new manifestation is followed by a grim parade of social media messages directed at Jewish party members,
“The experience of life in the party has become sickening.”
He added: “The old tropes about the secret wiring connecting Jewish entrepreneurs and the use of wealth to exercise secretive control can be heard on an almost daily basis.”
He continued: “My sad conclusion is that the Labour Party is very plainly institutionally antisemitic, and its leader and his circle are antisemitic having never once made the right judgement call about an issue reflecting deep prejudice.
“The number of examples is shocking.”
Confirming his resignation, Lord Darzi said he had “zero tolerance” to discrimination.
He said: “As an Armenian survivor of the Armenian genocide, I have zero tolerance to anti-Semitism, Islamophobic or any other discrimination against religion or race.”
BBC Newsnight producer Matthew Harris tweeted: “Now a 3rd Labour peer, Lord Turnberg, also confirms to me he too has resigned the Labour Whip.”
The Standard has contacted Labour and the House of Lords for comment.
Labour MP Margaret Hodge responded to the resignations on Twitter, writing: “Labour peers, MPs, councillors & thousands of party members have been chased out by the rise of vile antisemitism from the hard left.
“Party leadership must stop trying to shut people up and start listening.”
