Labour is embroiled in a fresh storm over its response to anti-Semitism after the suspension of MP Naz Shah over offensive social media posts.

The West Bradford MP was stripped of the parliamentary whip and barred from party activity pending an investigation of her behaviour - which David Cameron branded racist.

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Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn had initially delivered only a reprimand, arguing that while the comments - made before Mr Shah was an MP - were "offensive and unacceptable", Ms Shah did not hold discriminatory views.

But under pressure from senior Labour figures to take disciplinary action amid mounting concern about anti-Semitism within the ranks - and with the Prime Minister joining calls for her suspension - it was announced Ms Shah had been excluded.

"Jeremy Corbyn and Naz Shah have mutually agreed that she is administratively suspended from the Labour Party by the general secretary," a party spokesman said.

"Pending investigation, she is unable to take part in any party activity and the whip is removed."

The leadership was also forced to deny editing an article written by Ms Shah for Jewish News - one of a string of apologies issued by the MP - to remove direct references to anti-Semitism and wider issues in the party.

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BuzzFeed news said it had seen an original version drawn up by the MP's office which included an admission that she had "helped promote anti-Semitic tropes", which did not appear in the version on the publication's website.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: "We have never seen those words. The article was the work of Naz Shah."

The party said the article was "not seen, written, edited or approved by Labour HQ".

Ms Shah, who yesterday quit her role as a Parliamentary assistant to shadow chancellor John McDonnell yesterday, told MPs she deeply regretted the hurt caused by the posts and wanted to work with Jewish groups to bolster understanding.

In a 2014 Facebook post, she shared a graphic of Israel's outline superimposed onto a map of the US under the headline "Solution for Israel-Palestine Conflict - Relocate Israel into United States", with the comment: "Problem solved".

The Guido Fawkes website - which published the post - also pointed to another made before Ms Shah was an MP, which used the hashtag #IsraelApartheid above a quote saying "Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal".

"Anti-Semitism is racism, full stop. As an MP I will do everything in my power to build relations between Muslims, Jews and people of different faiths and none," she told the Commons.

Ms Shah wrote in Jewish News that she wished to make an "unequivocal apology for statements and ideas that I have foolishly endorsed in the past".

"The manner and tone of what I wrote in haste is not excusable. With the understanding of the issues I have now I would never have posted them. I have to own up to the fact that ignorance is not a defence."

Buzzfeed said that the original article had been cut to remove a passage where she said that "we on the left must stop procrastinating and tackle oppression within our own ranks, especially anti-Jewish oppression."

In another change, "referencing Israel in comparison to Nazi Germany" was replaced with "referring to Israel and Hitler".

MP John Woodcock said: "This is incredibly serious - feel sick if this is as reported. Needs full explanation of whether true and who edited."

Ken Livingstone - the former London Mayor who is a close ally of Mr Corbyn - said the remarks were not anti-Semitic and the suspension was unnecessary.

He told LBC Radio: "What we have at the moment is a lot of people making a big issue about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. In 47 years I have never heard anyone say anything anti-Semitic.

"We expelled a couple of people from the Labour Party early on for saying things that could clearly be interpreted as anti-Semitic.

"This is not that; this is an over-the-top comment about the horrendous conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians."

Conservative candidate for London mayor Zac Goldsmith said that Ms Shah's comments reflected a wider problem within Labour which was making the party "unelectable".

Mr Goldsmith told the Press Association: "A lot of people say silly things and regret it, a lot of people make mistakes - but these comments are not accidental, they are about as offensive as it is possible to be to the Jewish community.

"These are words that are deliberately designed to bring back memories of the Holocaust, which is completely unforgivable in my opinion.

"This is not just about her (Ms Shah). There is a problem in the Labour Party with anti-Semitism, and the Labour Party - if it wants to be treated as a respectable and serious party - has got to deal with that problem, and I don't believe it is.

"The Labour Party as a whole needs to get to grips with this issue. This is a once-great party and in my view it renders it unelectable."

Labour MP John Mann said Mr Corbyn should personally clarify if "someone at the top of the Labour Party" had "watered down" the apology.

"I want him to clarify - if that happened, who did it?

"Obviously he will want to sack that person. If someone has watered down what I take - on face value - to be a very genuine apology ... that would be a huge scandal," he told Sky News.

He said Ms Shah should be forced to take "a proper education programme on anti-Semitism" and to visit Israel to see the Holocaust memorial and a village bombed by Hamas rockets.