More than half of voters say Labour has an anti-Semitism problem - poll
2 min read
More than half of the electorate think Labour has a problem with anti-Semitism to some extent, according to a new poll.
Some 51% thinks there are at least pockets of anti-Semitism in the party, the survey by new firm Deltapoll found.
The news makes grim reading for the Labour leadership, which has been battling with the issue after a new row exploded last month.
Jeremy Corbyn has admitted there are “pockets” of anti-Semitism in Labour ranks and but has been condemned for failing to take harder action to stamp it out.
The poll found a third (34%) of voters even believe Mr Corbyn himself is among those in the party who hold anti-Semitic views.
It also found 17% thought the party was “riddled” with members holding anti-Semitic views, while two-fifths (39%) of 2017 Labour voters think there are people in the party who hold anti-Jewish views.
Last month Mr Corbyn insisted to Jewish News: “I’m not an anti-Semite in any way, never have been, never will be. I’ve opposed racism in any form all my life.
“It’s the way I was brought up, it’s the way I’ve lived my life. I recognise the hurt that’s felt within the community.”
He has tasked new Labour general secretary Jennie Formby with stamping out anti-Semitism as her primary goal.
Meanwhile, it emerged Shadow Communities Secretary Andrew Gwynne is a member of a Labour Facebook page in which anti-Semitic posts are allegedly being shared.
Confronted by the Sunday Telegraph, he said he will try to remove himself from the ‘Labour Supporters’ group, which reportedly contains comments such as: "Jews will pay 7 times more for their sins - Islam will unite the religious world."
On Twitter, he added: "I was added to this Facebook group without my knowledge or permission. I DO NOT support the posts and I ABHOR anti-Semitism. It has absolutely NO place in the Labour Party or in society. End of."
Elsewhere, the Deltapoll survey found Mr Corbyn had a net approval rating of -27 while Theresa May had a net approval rating of -6.
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